Of mutated worlds
by Gemmaaaaa
Summary: Nobody saw the end of the world coming. It happened overnight, no warning, no escape. They came from the shadows, biting, paralysing, and killing little by little until they were the majority. One day, everything was normal and then, suddenly, Padme Amidala Naberrie woke up in hell. Anidala/Vaderdala
1. Chapter 1

Nobody saw the end of the world coming. It happened overnight, no warning, no escape… They came from the shadows, biting, paralysing, and killing little by little until they were the majority. They devoured, ripped through flesh – innocent or guilty, young or old no one was spared.

One day, everything was normal and then, suddenly, Padme Amidala Naberrie woke up in hell.

It was her youngest niece first. Unprepared, the small Naberrie family had no idea the creatures that'd stalked into their peaceful little suburban home until it was far, far too late. There'd been a snarl, a scream and all that was left of little Pooja was an arm resting in a pool of blood. After that, when there was still more people around, the monsters took her father and soon after her mother too. As for Sola, Darred and Ryoo, all Padme had found was a car without one window intact and enough blood to make her stomach heave.

Every single night for a year she woke up screaming from images of scaled monsters using their claws to rip open her family and long sharp fangs to tear their bodies to pieces.

New York was once the glittering city that never slept. Now it was a nightmare, an endless purgatory where the creatures ruled through terror and death. Now more than ever before no one in the city dared to sleep.

After the deaths of her family, Padme had expected to join them soon. She was a law student, a girl whose idea of _camping _was renting a cabin; she wasn't prepared for a life of running, of being hunted and hiding. Survival skills weren't something she'd prioritised before the world died. Life had been easier then.

But somehow, gradually, she began to find something inside of herself as those first awful months passed. Her _fight. _A willingness to survive against all the odds. It'd pulled her through the bleakest of moments and given her hope. Padme became smarter, faster, never staying in one place too long and only sleeping _after _setting up noise triggers to wake her should something come crawling nearby. She got herself a gun – two actually – and kept up her ammunition with daily checks.

Bullets felled the creatures just fine.

Still, despite what she'd learned, no one survived alone in this new world for very long. That was how she ran into a man by the name of Obi-wan Kenobi. He'd been a police officer in the old world; all the training had given him deadly aim and strong instincts. Somehow, the cruelty and violence of this new world hadn't hardened his heart or crushed his compassion. Within an hour of meeting, Ben took Padme in, giving her safety and protection in ways she hadn't felt since the world ended.

He wasn't alone, she found out after following him back to the small run-down building that had once been a hotel, there were a group of survivors who had banded together in the hope of safety in numbers. Most were friendly and welcoming but others were quiet and reserved. Padme didn't blame them, growing attached to people these days was dangerous. Everyone had lost too much.

It was a luxury to sleep in a room with an actual bed again, to feel warm and comfortable inside solid walls high off the unkempt ground. When she woke on her second day in _the Coruscant Hotel_, it was the most rested she'd felt in a long time. In the silence of night under the Coruscant's high, slightly crumbling, white ceiling Padme could almost pretend everything was back to how it used to be. No monsters, no death, no running and hiding… She was just another college student and her family were only a phone call away… She fell asleep every night warm inside the pretence.

One week after her arrival, Obi-wan offered to help sharpen her survival skills, to teach her how to handle the array of weapons the group have collected since they moved in. Over the course of the next month, Padme learned how to wield axes, guns of various types, knives – far better than the little ragtag bundle of kitchen knives she'd been carrying before – and even homemade bombs. Through her lessons, the group began to feel familiar to her. She met people like the quiet, haunted Bail Organa whose wife Breha and newborn adopted daughter Winter had been murdered by the monsters, Mon Mothma a grim and confident woman who'd lost her lover, a pair of twins by the names of Dorme and Sabe who'd been running from something far before than the end of the world and a former banker who shared very little of his story, Rush Clovis.

The entire group of survivors amounted to only fifteen but called themselves the Rebels, the people who refuse to die. It was a joke shared over whatever drinks people got their hands on after dinner, something they laughed mirthlessly about together and secretly clung to in their hearts. At the end of the world, it was nice to belong somewhere after all.

As it turned out, the Rebels weren't the only group in town.

The Imperials had set up their territory in the once fancy, five star Empire hotel and the name had stuck. They were another band of survivors who'd sought out protection in numbers and were led by a man named Anakin Skywalker. As soon as Obi-wan told her his name, a familiarity struck her…

Anakin Skywalker… Padme had known him once; they'd lived in the same neighbourhood growing up and had gone to high school together. Those days felt like so long ago, another life, another world… The more she thought about Anakin Skywalker, the more she remembered. He and his mother had lived alone and he'd been a troublemaker, talking back in classes – when he bothered to show up – smoking, partying with the other seniors. They'd been paired up on a lab project once and he'd been nothing but a distraction throughout. Looking back, Padme could see she'd been more than a little intimidated by him… In her mind, he'd been the bad boy.

Now she wanted to laugh at herself.

What would her naive past self think of Anakin Skywalker now? The head of a gang who didn't just attempt to survive, but to make life even more miserable for everyone else while doing so, they stole people's provisions, the weapons they depended upon for survival, murdered whoever got in their way… The younger Padme would have collapsed.

"It's funny," Obi-wan stroked his beard as they walked down the threadbare purple carpeted hallway, "I just can't imagine someone like Anakin Skywalker in high school, taking classes and dancing at prom…" The latter idea drew a small chuckle from the auburn-haired man.

"He didn't exactly take classes, just turned up now and again to cause trouble for the poor teachers." And he certainly didn't make it to prom; at least, Padme didn't think so. She hadn't seen him that night and there hadn't been any interruptions or pranks. Maybe his mother had kept him away for the sake of everyone else's night?

"Sounds about right." He muttered, "let's just hope he and the Imperials keep to their territory and leave us be, petty trouble in high school is long behind him now."

"Is he really _that _dangerous?" Padme asked, tugging at a loose thread at the end of the once white tank top she wore. Behind her, the long braid her hair now lived in swayed as they walked. "Or is it mob mentality driving them?" People had already suffered and lost so much in this world, Padme couldn't fathom why anyone would try to make things worse. It wasn't difficult to just stay out of people's way and leave them alone; the Rebels did it every day!

"Unfortunately, he is." Obi-wan stopped walking to meet her eye. The haunted look that crossed his features started a knot of dread in her stomach. "He tells the Imperials what to do and where to go. It's not an accident that they run into people, Padme." He stepped closer, "Have you ever heard how Mace lost his leg?"

Mace Windu, a stern-faced wheelchair-bound man who rarely spoke to anyone at all. Beneath the knee of his right leg was a stump she hadn't dared to look at for too long. Apparently, before the injury, he'd been one of the best monster killers the Rebels had.

"I just assumed it was a monster fight gone wrong." Padme shook her head, "we've hardly spoken, it seemed rude to ask."

"Well, it _was _a run-in with one of the creatures. But Anakin was behind it, I was there. This was before the two territories were so explicitly set out, you see. We were hunting for supplies near the Empire hotel and the Imperials appeared out of nowhere… They had…" He turned away from Padme suddenly, voice shaking and brought a hand to cover his mouth. "_He _had one of those… Those _things _with them."

The dread grew heavier in her stomach. She hardly dared to ask. "What things?"

Slowly, Obi-wan turned to face her again. "One of the creatures. They had it leashed! Anakin, he and the others actually _captured _one of them and took it in. I don't know what they do with it in their home but when they bring it out…" Abject horror crossed his face, "They – they set it on anyone they deem to be in their way. Mace is just one of many victims, I'm sure."

Padme's eyes widened. The dread in her stomach melted into revulsion as she struggled for words. It wasn't possible! It _couldn't _be possible! She'd seen the devastation those creatures left in their wake, how quickly they moved, how they hunted without mercy… How could Anakin Skywalker's gang have one in their control? "I…" She stuttered, "_How?_"

"I don't know and I don't think that I want to." Obi-wan grimaced. "But being under Anakin and the Imperial's control hasn't made it any less dangerous. Just like all the others it has a taste for human blood and they use that to their advantage." At the look on her face, he laid a hand on Padme's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm not going to say everyone staying in the Empire is evil, chances are, most of them are just sticking it out for the security of being in a group but we can't take any chances. That's why we keep to the north side of the city. No need to involve ourselves in unnecessary turf wars, we have everything we need here in the Coruscant."

* * *

That night, sleep was elusive for Padme. Every time she closed her eyes the image of the Anakin Skywalker she'd known came to mind. The reckless teenager she'd abhorred for not following the rules, for not taking _anything _seriously. Her best friend Corde had been head over heels with a crush on him but she could hardly tolerate his presence longer than their biology period. She hadn't thought about him once after graduating but now his image tormented her. Padme could hear his laugh as he made fun of one of the substitute teachers with his friend Kitster, see his smug grin after pulling off a humiliating prank on one of their classmates…

His meanness never made sense to her. Padme had met Anakin's mother, Shmi, a handful of times while out with her mother across the years. She'd always seemed so kind, so warm… How could someone like that have a son who did such _terrible _things?

Slowly, she drifted into a fitful sleep full of monsters and screams and blood.

The next morning, after breakfast Obi-wan sent her and Bail out on a supply run toward the upper east side. There were a couple of abandoned grocery stores that may not have been completely ransacked to explore. The options around the area were beginning to feel sparse and Padme dreaded what would happen once their usual spots were empty. Turf wars were dangerous – especially so if one side had a monster under their control.

Shaking it off, she focused on walking and listening for growls. She was glad Obi-wan had sent Bail with her, he was a good man and she suspected they might have been good friends in the old world. They had a lot in common. It didn't hurt that he'd become skilled with a gun since joining the Rebels. After reaching the upper east side of the city – avoiding what was once Central Park, the creatures had too many places to hide and hunt them – they headed inside a small convince store.

To Padme's surprise, it hadn't been emptied. Things had clearly been taken but everything was largely in order… Bail shot her a puzzled look before shrugging and pulling food off the shelves and stuffing it into the bags they'd brought along. Padme followed suit, searching for the least perishable items like cereals and canned foods before scooping up packets of chips and candy bars. The second bag was filled almost to the brim when she heard it.

Footsteps.

Pulling out her gun, Padme dropped the bag and turned to the front of the store; Bail did the same and came closer. Side by side, they braced themselves. The sound drew closer and she flicked the safety off the gun. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself.

At last, the source of the sound rounded the corner, only, it wasn't a scaly creature intent to kill, but a man, flanked by two others. From behind the cash registers more footsteps marched inside the store and between the aisles, surrounding Padme and Bail. It may not have been the monsters but these people were no less dangerous. Unfortunately, she recognised the man's face even after all these years. He'd barely changed, older yes, a ragged scar across his eye and long hair that fell in messy curls to his shoulders but Padme remembered that smirk.

Anakin Skywalker.

He wore a black coat, white shirt and dark jeans, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would suggest this was the kind of man who adopted beasts and used them to destroy already ruined lives further. He looked like a _normal _man and it set Padme on edge. Each of the men who surrounded him was armed to the teeth. Guns, knives, one or two even had axes strapped to their backs. They were ready for a fight.

"Well, well… Small world!" Anakin cocked his head to the right, eyes flicking between Padme and Bail. "Padme Amidala Naberrie…" He drawled each syllable of her name, "long time no see. This isn't exactly the high school reunion I'd imagined."

Padme's heart pounded in her chest. He remembered her… He remembered her _full name_! They'd barely even known each other. She opened and shut her mouth twice but no words came. She was too shaken and frightened. _Had he brought the creature too? _After a moment, Anakin chuckled at the probably terrified look on her face before turning to nudge a woman who'd pushed her way to his side without Padme noticing. Short and slim, she wore a white shirt and dark pants, two belts crossed over her waist and a pair of goggles rested on her forehead above shoulder length raven hair. She was pretty but something about her deepened Padme's anxiety.

As Anakin nudged her with a laugh, the woman's whole face brightened. "Look, Aphra," he muttered lowly but loud enough for Padme and Bail to hear. "I think we've scared her."

The other woman sniggered and looked her up and down once. "If she's scared that means she's smart."

He didn't answer her, stepping forward but Bail did the same, moving in front of Padme protectively. Secretly, she was glad. Bail had been with the Rebel's longer than she had, he was used to these kinds of run-ins by now.

"Well," Anakin stopped suddenly, searing gaze moving between Bail and Padme, "as fun as these things are, this place is ours. You need to leave."

Bail scoffed, "yours? I didn't see your name out front – there weren't any territorial markings so it's fair game."

"Good point." Anakin drew dangerously closer, nostrils flaring, "maybe I'll add some with your blood. That way _everyone_ will see it." His hand rose before Bail could respond and without thinking, Padme pushed herself forward, between the two men before someone got hurt. They weren't losing Bail in a ridiculous turf war over a store! She couldn't let him get hurt.

"_Don't _touch him!" She cried, it came out raspy and trembling but loud enough for everyone in the store to hear. It couldn't possibly be a good idea to make a scene and irritate the man who controlled one of the creatures but she'd rather face that thing than let Bail get hurt protecting her.

If the leader of the Imperial's felt surprised or angry by Padme's outburst he didn't show it. For one fleeting moment, his eyes widened before his lips rose in a cruel half-smirk. "You've changed, Naberrie!" He barked out a laugh. "You've got fire now… I like it. The girl I used to know would have minded her own business. Look at you now…" And he did. His eyes trailed over every inch of Padme's body before they met her eyes again. Anakin licked his lips slowly, "maybe you should come over to the dark side?" He sniggered, "I'll get rid of your friend here and you can – "

He was horrible. Every inch of him menacing and cruel as he delighted in the terror he inspired in people. Padme hadn't thought _anything _could be worse than the monsters but Anakin Skywalker was probably the worst being in this city! The idea of _going with _him? Unthinkable. She felt sick, terrified for Bail more than herself – what if they'd brought their monster pet along? It would tear him apart before she could do anything!

Panic overruled logic suddenly with the thought of one of those creatures on a leash outside just waiting for Anakin Skywalker's word to kill them. She didn't think, the instinct to _survive _thrummed loudly between her ears, guiding Padme's movements. Her gun was shaking in her hands but she pulled the trigger anyway.

She missed. Terribly. Padme wouldn't have minded where the bullet hit, his head, his chest… Anywhere so long as it killed Anakin and took the threat he posed away. But the trembling of her hands scrambled her aim and the bullet barely grazed his shoulder, making the Imperial leader grunt and stumble back a step. Blood seeped through his clothes and stained the dark cloth of his jacket, the wet spot became visible almost as quickly as the group surrounding Anakin pulled out their weapons.

Axes, guns and knives were suddenly in the hands of everyone in the store and Padme heard Bail's breath catch in his throat behind her. Every one of them looked ready to attack until Anakin threw out his uninjured arm to keep them back.

"It's alright… I'm fine." He brought his fingers to the wound, cupping it for a moment before withdrawing, eyeing the blood on his fingers curiously. Any sane person might have withdrawn or set their followers on Padme and Bail in retaliation but when Anakin's blazing gaze met hers again, he smiled. He wasn't angry, no, instead he almost seemed… _Intrigued… _As if he was enjoying this. Somehow, that felt worse. "That was brave." He said, "stupid, but brave."

"C'mon, let me cut that pretty face to pieces!" Aphra groaned. "She shot you. Tit for tat, right?"

Padme glanced at the other woman for a moment, sickened, before looking back at Anakin. "Just leave us alone or else I'll put the next one through your head!" She was more terrified than before shooting him but prayed no one noticed the tremor in her voice. She would give _anything _to just make it back to the Coruscant with both her and Bail in one piece.

Anakin laughed, low and husky, "given your aim, Naberrie, I don't think so." The smile fell from his lips, "both of you can go… Run back to Obi-wan and tell him to keep his little band of _Rebel _scum out of our territory." The Imperial group gave an agreeable cheer at those words and Padme tried to simply brush the insult off. Anakin turned away from them then, taking all of three steps back toward his cronies before he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "And leave what you took."

Bail glanced at Padme and she grit her teeth. There wasn't much choice but to do as Anakin asked if they wanted to make it out of here. Reluctantly, they spilled out the contents of the bags they'd brought onto the floor. As soon as they were empty, Bail took her by the arm and began to guide her toward the exit, ignoring the jeers from Anakin's people as they moved through the aisle. She felt relieved to make it to the door without issue though her heart still hammered painfully inside her chest. This wasn't over until they made it back to the Coruscant.

Bail stepped out of the door and Padme made to follow until she felt a firm grip on her free arm, stopping her from taking the last step out of the door. Turning, she was face to face with Anakin again, mere inches apart. Her heart leapt into her throat. Had he changed his mind about letting them go? Was he going to throw them to his creature – or shoot them or –

"It's been nice catching up." He spoke lowly, leaning down slightly before grinning, "let's do this again, Naberrie."

He released her arm then and Padme didn't linger to give a reply. She only wanted two things then, to get back to the Coruscant and to never see Anakin Skywalker again.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Obi-wan found out what happened at the store, he lectured Padme for what felt like hours. Words like _stupid_, _irresponsible_ and _dangerous_ were thrown around. He paced without stopping as Padme sunk further into the worn chair with every passing word. The longer he chastised her, the more she began to feel like a stupid little girl. What had she been thinking?Obi-wan asked her over and over again without pausing to let her find an answer.

"I mean, I thought you were smarter than this, Padme!" He rubbed his face over his hands with a long sigh. "Don't you understand that by shooting Anakin, you've angered him and given him a reason to bring his – that _thing _over here!"

He didn't need to tell Padme that. It had been the only thought in her mind the entire walk back to the Coruscant. Every gust of wind, every little sound or movement in the corner of her eye had been the Imperials and the monster coming after them. She couldn't _believe _that she'd let the fear get the better of her back there. Padme could still see the sinister smile on Anakin's face in the store; he'd probably been _looking _for a reason to fight… Holding back a groan, she slid deeper down into the chair as Obi-wan raved on.

"Wait, wait! Hold on." Bail interrupted suddenly, standing up from his chair in the corner of the room. "I think we've all heard enough, Obi-wan." Diplomatically, he offered a tight smile to the auburn-haired man. "Skywalker was coming close and spitting venom… He threatened my life and Padme reacted, it's not her fault. I would have done the same in her position."

A moment passed and then Obi-wan sighed tiredly yet again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I imagine we all would have…"

"Besides," Bail winced, "I don't think Skywalker was actually _angered_ by Padme shooting him. He liked it." At that, Padme's gaze snapped up to the man just as Obi-wan's breath caught in his throat. _Liked it? _What kind of person _liked _being shot at? If her hands hadn't been shaking so much she could have killed him!

"What in God's name is _that_ supposed to mean?" Obi-wan breathed.

"You should have seen his face, Obi-wan…" Bail threw Padme a guilty glance, "it was like… It was almost as if… As if he was _aroused _by it." He practically spluttered the words, flushing and flustered at saying them.

"_What?" _Padme cried, throwing herself out of the chair and laughing, "that's ridiculous! You must have misread the situation, Bail. I – he looked surprised, maybe a little curious by it but he probably wasn't expecting me to do anything. That's not… No." She stammered, shaking her head. Obi-wan sank into the seat she'd vacated, silent for several moments. She watched him stroke his beard – something he did while deep in thought, she'd learned – and tugged the end of her braid over her shoulder.

"This isn't good." He spoke at last and Bail hummed in agreement. "Honestly, I'd prefer it if he _was_ angry and wanted revenge… It would certainly be easier to handle." Their eyes met and something in Padme's stomach sank at the resignation in his blue gaze. "If Bail is right, Padme, this situation is far more serious than I anticipated."

She shook her head again and squeezed her eyes shut tight for a moment, trying to find something coherent in her thoughts. Anakin didn't… He didn't want anything to do with her. Today's run-in was unfortunate but in a week or two or by the next run-in with some creatures it would be old news and forgotten about. He was the head of the Imperials; he probably had a hundred other things to think about every day. The idea that someone like Anakin Skywalker could actually want her in _that way_… Unthinkable. Impossible.

"I want you to stay inside for the next few days, Padme." Obi-wan declared, "Give things time to cool off… Maybe something else will catch his attention if you aren't around. If you absolutely must leave, then take two people with you."

"Rather safe than sorry." Bail agreed.

"Okay." She nodded. If it meant slipping under Anakin's radar and keeping him off her and the Rebel's backs, staying cooped up inside the building was a small price to pay. Still, glancing out the window to the buildings below, Padme felt a cool shudder coarse through her body at the thought of seeing the Imperial leader again.

* * *

Three weeks later, the residents of the Coruscant were woken by deafening thuds against the barred doorway and resounding cries of "_code red! Code red!" _The mysterious voice disturbed Padme from sleep, jolting her awake with a choked gasp. It only took one more yell of the words "_code red" _to knock any lingering sleepiness out of her mind. Kicking the covers away she swung her legs out of the bed and reached for the worn black jeans at the foot of the bed, pulling them on as quickly as she dared to without risking a fall.

As soon as she was decent, she pulled her long curls up into a twisted, messy knot and slipped out of the door. People were running down the long corridors toward the stairs, murmuring frantically amongst each other too quickly for her to make out. Confused, Padme followed them down the curved stairs and into the foyer until through the gathering cluster of people, she spotted the fiery red hair of Mon and pushed her way through to reach the woman.

"Mon!" She cried once close enough. The redhead seemed grim, wringing her hands together anxiously. _What the hell was happening? _"What's going on here? What does code red mean?"

It took a moment for Mon's apprehensive gaze to turn to meet Padme's eye. She shook her head distantly. "Oh, that's right… You've never been here for one of these before. It means there's been an alarming influx of monsters in the area, enough to worry both Obi-wan and the Imperials." Her already pale face paled further, "the shouting was one of the imperials – Skywalker must have sent them…"

"So, he's warning us that it's dangerous?" Padme asked, frowning. Why would Anakin send one of his followers over to warn the Rebels about creatures in the area if they were enemies? He called them _scum _in the store that day; his opinion of the people inside these walls obviously wasn't very high… Why would someone cruel and dangerous decide to help people he disliked so much?

"It's less of a warning and more… Well, under the circumstances of a code red a truce between the Rebels and Imperials is called immediately. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all." Mon shrugged. "Obi-wan is gathering people willing to go out and help the Imperials cull the monsters downstairs in the armoury."

Padme's head spun. Two factions hell-bent on being against each other could be friends under the right circumstances? That just didn't make any _sense_! If the Imperials and the Rebels could get along sometimes then why not swallow their pride and band together for the betterment of _everyone_? It was like two children refusing to play together after a petty falling out! She couldn't make sense of it.

"I'm going." She declared.

"What?" Mon laughed mirthlessly, "don't be ridiculous, Padme. A code red is a serious matter! It's too dangerous."

"Which is exactly why I'm going." Taking a few steps forward, she looked at the other woman over her shoulder, "if everyone had that attitude those creatures would have killed us all by now."

* * *

Down in the armoury, a converted basement filled with almost every weapon Padme could imagine, Obi-wan knew better than to try to talk her out of joining the group. Still, he threw her a disapproving glance as he placed two guns and a long jagged blade into her waiting palms. Behind her, Rush Clovis loaded a black Glock into a holster strapped to his waist with trembling fingers. She'd never seen him handle a weapon before.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

He paused for a moment and then smiled nervously. "As alright as one can be in these situations, I suppose. You're coming along I see?"

Tucking the blade into the slot on her belt, Padme nodded. "I just want to do my part." Her guns fit perfectly into the shabby brown leather holster harness around her hips and she tightened it around each of her legs with a firm tug.

"Me too." Rush said quietly, "let's look out for each other today… I know I'd feel safer with someone like you keeping an eye on me…" He laughed nervously and looked away, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. Something about his words bought a note of sadness into the building anxiety inside of Padme. In the old world, a comment like that would have been a joke, something to be laughed at… It might even have been a silly attempt at flirting…

Now it was a small assurance in a deadly situation.

The Imperial, a tanned, Australian man lead Obi-wan and the seven Rebel volunteers to what used to be a car park where Padme immediately spotted a band of people deep in battle with a creature hoard. There was no time for hesitation or second thoughts… Do or die.

The Rebels rushed into battle with cries of adrenaline and fear beneath a shower of gunshots and blood. Through the chaos, she briefly spotted Anakin as he stabbed a yellow scaled creature in the chest sending blood, red like wine, splattering everywhere and ruining the pale green t-shirt he wore. For a moment, Padme was frozen, entranced by the sheer savagery on his face… As if all this, the killing, the brutality felt like _release_. It only lasted for a second before she was knocked into by a stumbling woman and her mind refocused.

Side by side the Rebels and Imperials fought together, united as human beings against the greater threat. There was a sense of comradery, kinship almost, in the air. To the left, Obi-wan and Rush partnered up with two Imperials to cut down a fleshy blue and red lizard-like creature whose claws were as long as Padme's forearm. Despite the comradery, most Rebels purposely avoided the battle on the right, where a purple and green beast stood on four legs and was leashed to the palm of the woman from the store… Aphra, she recalled. It roared and bucked up onto its hind legs, hissing and grabbing at any man or monster that came close enough, tearing them apart with blood-stained teeth.

From behind an abandoned car, Padme aimed her gun and shot down any monsters who gave her a clear shot. Headshots were the cleanest kills, the things died instantly but she took whatever target she could see, legs, backs, even tails if it meant distracting it long enough for someone else to kill.

Two shots into the face of a blue monster and its snouted face exploded, sending blood and gore spraying onto the people around. It fell dead to the ground soundlessly and revealed the fight behind it. Rush had separated from Obi-wan and taken on a yellow two-headed monster alone with only a blade in his hand. _What happened to his gun? _She wondered. The blade cut and wounded it with every swing and thrust of his arm but it wasn't enough, the two heads were beginning to overpower him.

Wide-eyed, Padme could only watch as one of the creature's heads shot forward to sink its sharp teeth into the flesh of Rush's shoulder. He cried out loudly enough that she was able to hear the sound from across the parking lot as he fell to his knees.

"_Rush!" _His name flew from her lips without prompting. She didn't think, didn't plan, just moved frantically around the car. She'd promised to look out for him and no one was near enough to help. Obi-wan had his hands full with a hissing green monster, Bail was to the right helping an Imperial man Padme didn't recognise take down a snake-like beast and the twins Dorme and Sabe were back to back shooting down creatures with wild abandon. She was the only one who could save him!

She lunged forward and toward the fray, abandoning her hiding spot and bolted as fast as her legs could carry her through the battle. In the blink of an eye, all her fear vanished, replaced by a sudden, choking _need _to get to Rush as quickly as possible. She was halfway through her ammunition but it didn't matter. If need be she'd tear through the beast with her knife and hands if it kept her friend safe. She focused her gaze on him even as her chest began to burn from the running and she felt the warm spray of blood shower over her – human or monster, she didn't dare look – Padme only saw Rush as the second head of the creature sank down and bit his arm as he held it up defensively.

With his unwounded arm, Rush found the strength to slash though the scaly neck of one of the twin heads and it fell to the ground with a heavy _thump_ but the other head still lived, screeching furiously at the sight of the stump where its sibling had once been. Padme slid to a halt ten meters away by a street light and aimed at the remaining head. She was so fixated on taking it down before it could cause further damage, she didn't hear the approach of a black-feathered beast until it was too late. She only had time to turn and be greeted by a pair of hungry golden eyes and brace herself for its attack before a long, thin-edged knife flew through the air and slashed through the creature's head from between the eyes.

It fell to the concrete, head ripped in two and Padme watched as its corpse twitched and leaked blood and brains out beside her feet. Once upon a time something like this might have made her throw up… Now, all she felt was _relief._ Turning toward the direction the knife flew from she was greeted by the approach of Anakin, blood-spattered across his face and clothes like war paint. He stopped before her and grinned. "Watch your back," he reached up to chuck her under the chin and then breezed past and back into the battle as if it had never happened.

There was only a second or two to process it, that he _saved _her, smiled at her and _touched _her so affectionately… As if they were friends or lovers or – Rush gave a pained cry and snapped Padme's thoughts back to the moment. Pushing Anakin Skywalker to the back of her mind, she didn't hesitate this time when she raised the gun, aimed and shot the creature in the face.

She'd never shot better. The thing fell backwards and she raced forward to help Rush stand. He was wounded and bleeding but he'd live. Twenty or so minutes later, the last of the creatures in the area were slaughtered and it was over. The only survivor of its race was the beast on a leash which Aphra passed to Anakin with a sly smirk.

Padme held Rush's arm over her shoulders to help carry his weight as they moved across the battlefield to reconvene with Obi-wan and the others. The auburn-haired leader of the Rebels had an angry slash across his chest that would need stitches and a small cut on his forehead but was otherwise okay. Bail and Sabe had fared better and bore no injuries she could see and Dorme's leg was bleeding… The same couldn't be said for others. Bodies of Rebels and Imperials lay torn up and dead across the ground, pieces scattered and limbless and it made Padme ache. The days of funerals and burials were behind humanity now; these people would never have that peace.

Despite his pain, Obi-wan moved around the group to account for the living and count the lost. Slowly, the two factions began to separate, slipping back into the roles of Rebels and Imperials as Anakin walked out into the growing space between the two. Seeing this, Obi-wan followed and the two leaders met each other on level ground. The creature leashed to Anakin's arm had been muzzled tightly and unhappily so judging by its angry growling and head shaking. Both men ignored it, though Padme saw Obi-wan's eyes flicker to the monster every few seconds.

"I think everything around here has been cleared." Anakin declared, wiping blood from his face with his free hand.

"So it would seem." Obi-wan agreed, "I just hope that whatever lured them all here today is long gone… Too many have been lost."

There was no disagreeing with that.

"My people are wounded," Anakin said, "We should get back to our turfs to recover."

"Yes, I think that's for the best." The two men shared a begrudging nod and parted ways. Obi-wan made his way back toward where Padme stood with Rush, looking relieved despite the death of the comradery the two groups had shared. She felt exhausted, filthy and wanted nothing more than a shower and to collapse into bed and sleep for a week. They were lucky, there were people who'd been doctors living in Coruscant who could make sure everyone was patched up safely when they got back. The only downside was that pain killers were hard to find these days… The wounded had to make do without more often than not.

"Oh, and Obi-wan!" Anakin called out suddenly, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

The man in question drew in a deep breath, calling upon all his patience before turning back to look at the younger man. "Yes?"

"We'll have to talk soon…" Anakin's eyes sought out and found Padme's gaze in the crowd for a moment before looking back to Obi-wan. "You have something I want." His blazing stare worked its way back to Padme again while smiling knowingly. "And I don't want to wait much longer."


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: This is a long one! Almost 6,000 words. *Collapses*_**

Upon their return to the Coruscant, there was cheering and questions from the people who'd stayed behind but the survivors of the battle were quiet and withdrawn, the deaths of their comrades heavy on their minds. Padme hated herself for how Anakin's parting words to Obi-wan lingered in her mind as people around her were informed of who'd been left behind. She couldn't stop herself; it was all she could think about. The way Anakin's eyes had lingered on her as he'd spoken about wanting something… A shudder raced beneath her skin as she remembered he heat behind that gaze.

Suddenly, all the noise in the room died as Obi-wan reared around and punched a wall. Everyone stood wide-eyed at their usually calm leader's outburst until Mon came forward clearing her throat loudly. "Alright… This has been a… Trying time. Let's allow the group unwind and get on with the day's duties."

Her commanding voice ushered people out of the room without much fanfare, though Padme watched Mace Windu wheel himself over to where Obi-wan lingered, holding his no doubt aching fist. The two men exchanged some quiet words before Mace's dark eyes travelled the room to find hers. They were emotionless and still save for a slow blink, then, the quiet man shook his head and pushed himself away toward the door everyone else had disappeared through.

Only Bail, Padme and Obi-wan remained in the room after the heavy brown door shut behind Mace. The trio was silent for a long moment until Bail came forward from where he stood by the barred doorway to throw off his coat and leave it in the chair. "We all heard what he said… And I think we all know what it meant too. He wants Padme." The raven-haired man gestured weakly in her direction.

The Rebel leader was silent and yet his lack of words spoke volumes enough.

"No matter what happens, Obi-wan you have to make sure Skywalker doesn't get his hands on her."

"Stop!" Obi-wan seethed, still clutching his wrist. "Just – I'm trying to _think_."

"What can there possibly be to think about?" Bail argued. "You can't do that to her. It's unthinkable. God only knows what _he _wants to do with her… It certainly can't be anything good."

Obi-rubbed his uninjured hand over his face. "Maybe it could be…" He muttered quietly, "at the very least Anakin is good at keeping his people alive and safe. We lost _four_ people out there today, Bail…"

"_Safe_?" Bail was incredulous, "He may keep her safe from the creatures outside but _he _is the worst monster of them all!"

Obi-wan opened his mouth to respond wearily but Padme strode forward into the area the two men stood arguing over her fate. "Wait, wait, _wait_!" She held up a hand to quieten them both. "Isn't anyone going to ask me how _I _feel about any of this?"

"You're right." Bail smiled apologetically, "of course, I apologise, Padme."

"Yes," Obi-wan nodded, "Sorry, but I think there really is only one option here." He placed a hand on Padme's shoulder, "You need to get out of town."

"_What_?" She cried, "That's – that's ridiculous! You can't just send me away!"

"I'm not sending you away, Padme, I'm keeping you safe. Look, I have an old friend who lived here once but she got out… Managed to make her way over to Canada. She might be able to help you start again over there."

For a few seconds, all she could do was splutter. _Canada? _Padme had never been to Canada in her life! She'd never left the country before. Travelling had always been something reserved for the future, after graduation as a reward for all her hard work… Granted, Canada was hardly the furthest place to go but she liked her life here and she knew the area… Who knew what the situation there was like?

"I can't go to Canada, New York is my home!"

"It can't be anymore… It's not safe for you to be here now that Anakin has set his sights on you." Obi-wan slowly made his way toward a battered red sofa and sat down heavily. "I promise you, my friend will take care of you. Her name is – "

"Bail," She pleaded, "Bail, come on! You can't think this is the right thing to do, surely? Anakin's just a _bully _and you're both letting him win if you send me away." They couldn't send her away to a foreign place with a stranger because of Anakin Skywalker. Padme wouldn't have it. He probably wasn't all that interested in her anyway – liked the chase more than anything else, she was willing to bet. Well, she wasn't about to lose her home because someone like that wanted amusement.

"You're right." He nodded, "he _is _a bully. But that bully controls the majority of the food storage in this side of the city and probably the other half too. He has his own pet creature and gang willing to do anything he says. He could set it on us or starve us out if he wanted to." Bail drew closer. "I… As much as I hate to say it, Padme… You leaving the Rebels is as much for our safety as yours."

Padme's eyes began to burn. "Obi-wan?"

The other man didn't meet her eye and the silent confirmation felt like a fist to her stomach. _She _was putting her friends here in danger by staying. People could die because she selfishly wanted to hold on to New York and the routines she'd built here. _How could she have been so stupid? _Of course, there'd been more to it than just her protection, Obi-wan was in charge of keeping everyone in this building alive not just Padme. Sola had used to say she could be self-centred when she'd been alive… Maybe she was right after all.

Batting the tears off her cheeks, she nodded. "How long before your friend can get here?"

A moment passed and then, "if I call her tonight she could arrive by tomorrow if she sets off right away."

_Tomorrow._ By tomorrow Padme would no longer be a Rebel, part of the group… Her home wouldn't be The Coruscant where she felt safe and wanted. It made her want to scream and cry and throw something at Anakin Skywalker's smug face. She wanted to hit him and shout until he understood. _You took my home from me. You ruined what little life I had left._ _You took away my last family._

"I'll get my things ready." She muttered and turned for the door. The other two men were silent as she left and shut the door behind her again. Sabe and Dorme sat on the once-grand staircase together whispering. Dorme noticed Padme's approach first and leapt to her feet, nudging her sister by the elbow.

"Hey – hey she's out. Padme! What happened in there?"

Sabe nodded her curiosity even as Padme felt her lip begin to tremble at the thought of saying the words out loud. Instead, she shook her head and forced a deep breath through her lips, gathering herself. Everything was so sudden, she hadn't even thought about telling anyone about her departure. She'd already lost people she loved without getting to say goodbye, somehow, this felt worse.

"I…" She stuttered. "Did you hear what Anakin said to Obi-wan today?"

The twins shared a glance, it was Sabe who nodded. "About wanting something? Yeah. I just figured it was a piece of Rebel turf or some weapon we have that they don't. Why? Do _you_ know what it is?"

She did and she wished that she didn't. Padme wished, not for the first time, that she'd never met Anakin Skywalker. How many other lives had he ruined or was she just _that _special? The thought sickened her. Shaking her head, she tried to push back tears. "_Me." _

The word was small and barely a full syllable and yet forcing it past her lips had felt impossible.

"_You?_" Dorme repeated, "what do you mean he wants you?"

"Wait, I don't understand…" Sabe frowned, "We're talking about Anakin Skywalker, right? The Imperial guy? What does he want with you?"

"_I don't know!_" Padme cried, "We went to school together and he _hated_ me. I hated him too, he was horrible. Now, Obi-wan and Bail think I need to leave to keep everyone safe." Both twins looked at her sympathetically before Dorme pulled her quivering body into her arms tightly. A moment later, Sabe wrapped her arms around the pair of them. She hadn't been embraced like this in so long… Suddenly all she could see and feel was her mother and Sola.

The thought was almost enough to spill the tears in her eyes over to her cheeks.

When the three women pulled apart, Dorme brushed a stray lock of hair off Padme's face. "Hey… Everything I've heard about Anakin Skywalker tells me he's not a good guy… Maybe it _is _for the best you get away from him?"

"It's not… _Easy_ to leave things behind, believe me," Sabe interjected, "but it's possible. We did it when we were seventeen."

"You left home?" Padme said, glancing between the twins.

Both women were silent for a few moments, their pretty faces paling at no doubt unpleasant memories they'd been running from all this time. "Yeah," Dorme said. "After our mom died, our dad started drinking…"

"He wasn't a good person." Sabe finished, smiling sadly. "Raised his hands to us constantly and for any reason he could think of. See this?" Her long pale finger traced a slight bump in the middle of her nose. "He gave me this for flunking a chemistry test. That was the final straw."

Padme's eyes followed the crooked line of Sabe's nose and tried not to gasp… She'd been _fortunate _growing up. Her family had been loving, kind, understanding… Everything a family was supposed to be. Everyone heard stories about abusive families, sure, but she'd never had any real experience with _anything _like that. She knew exactly where to shoot a creature to kill it but had no idea what to say in a situation like this.

"Oh, Sabe…" She uttered quietly. "I'm so sorry."

"What we're saying is," Dorme spoke up, "sometimes it's _better _to get away even if it means leaving something behind. Look at us! We've done pretty well for ourselves, I would say."

It was certainly hard to disagree with that. "Obi-wan has a friend from Canada, he says she'll take me there. I've never even left New York before."

Sabe whistled, "I heard that Canada's in a much better state than here. Might be the best thing for you."

"Maybe the monsters are nicer there too?" Dorme sniggered. Sabe snorted and pushed her sister for the stupid joke. It was amazing, Padme thought to herself, that these two could come out alright after everything they'd been through. She'd been lucky to get to call them her friends even for a little while.

"Thank you." She took one twin's hand in each of her own. "You two have come to mean a lot to me in my time here."

"The feeling's more than mutual, Padme." Sabe stroked her hair affectionately, "if Canada really is better off, you'd better get your ass back down here and pick us up."

Somehow, she laughed and drew the two women into another embrace. "I will, I promise."

* * *

The next morning, the small bag filled with her meagre possessions was packed and ready to go. It hadn't taken her long. In the old world, a move like this would have taken Padme _months _to prepare for. There would have been clothes to sort through, shoes, bags, books and countless other possessions she'd have to pack up. _How things change. _Now, she had three pairs of pants, a couple of mended tank tops and sweaters for when the weather got colder, her boots, coat and gun. It was all she needed and all she had to take.

Slowly, she trudged downstairs with the bag slung over her shoulders and made her way to where Obi-wan stood with Rush, Mon, Bail and an unfamiliar girl. Her long dark hair was expertly twisted into two thick braids that reached her waist, that was the first thing Padme noticed. The second was her black long-sleeved shirt, burgundy skirt and knee-high boot outfit combination. She hadn't seen anyone dressed in a skirt for a very long time. It was strange.

"Ah," Obi-wan spied her approach over the girl's shoulder. "Padme, here you are." The girl turned to look at her too and she was struck by how _young _she appeared. This was his friend from Canada_? _She couldn't have been any older than eighteen! She'd thought that – well, she'd just _assumed _that – that it would be an adult she'd be travelling with. "This is my old friend, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka, this is Padme Naberrie."

"Pleasure." Ahsoka nodded once. "This is the one Anakin likes?"

"Unfortunately." Rush sighed, folding his arms petulantly over his chest.

"Yes," Obi-wan drawled, "and we both know what he can be like once he wants something."

Padme couldn't help herself, stepping further into the room she dropped her bag to the floor and looked at the younger girl. "You know him too?" If this girl was from Canada then how was it possible to know Anakin Skywalker? Surely, his reputation didn't carry _that _far?

At her question, Ahsoka grimaced and suddenly appeared older than her young age. "He was a friend of mine… For a while." Her big blue eyes slowly made their way up to meet Padme's surprised gaze. "Obi-wan didn't tell you, huh? I was an Imperial once."

"_You _were an Imperial?" Padme scoffed. There was no way! This was a _child_ and she was a friend of Obi-wan's – he would never mix with an Imperial, former or not. They did terrible things to people constantly. He _hated _them. "That can't be right."

At that Ahsoka smiled wryly, "they weren't always so bad…." The smile fell away from her face, "he wasn't always so bad…"

Padme wanted to roll her eyes and tell Ahsoka she was wrong, that she'd _known _Anakin years ago and he was just as terrible then as he was now… But the sadness in the girl's eyes caught the words in her throat, there was a pain there, a heartache she didn't dare worsen. It passed after only a moment but she'd _seen _it.

Ahsoka met her eyes again and narrowed her gaze, fixing Padme with an intense stare for a moment. "Wait a minute… I've seen you before."

"What? Where?" She asked. Searching her brain, she tried to remember a time where they could have run into each other but drew a blank. Ahsoka didn't look familiar at all. Maybe she was confusing her with someone else?

"It was back when I was with the Imperials…" The girl came closer, still eyeing Padme up, "We were fighting a group of monsters and about four of them took off down the street out of nowhere. They were chasing a girl. It was Great Jones street – the one where that fancy bakery used to be – they were red and green things around my height."

"I… I remember that…" Padme uttered, "It was a few days after my family died. They were chasing me but I lost them."

"You didn't lose them." Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "Anakin _insisted _we followed them even though they didn't care about us anymore… I'd never seen him so eager to kill monsters before." Everyone looked at Padme as she opened her mouth in surprise but no words came. Something horrifying twisted inside of her stomach – how many times had Anakin Skywalker saved her life? Is _that_ why she survived for so long before joining the Rebels, even though she had been completely unskilled?

"So then it's true…" Mon whispered. "Oh, you poor girl."

"I can't _believe it._" Rush spat. "You have to leave the damn country because Skywalker has a _crush _on you."

"Listen to me, Padme," Ahsoka began, "you _have _to run. If all this is true and he catches you – he will _never _let you go. Believe me… Getting out of the Imperials was hard enough as his _friend_, never mind as his…" She trailed off with a wince.

Suddenly, finally, the true sense of the danger she was in began to dawn upon Padme. "Alright, then let's just go right now. I don't want to bring any trouble to you." She looked at Obi-wan.

"I've sent out someone to fill up a canister of fuel from the gas station ten blocks down. It's the only one remotely nearby which still works… Never thought we'd have any use for it these days." He said. "You should be on the road in about an hour at most."

Padme nodded and felt a hand on her shoulder suddenly. Rush stepped into view with a sad smile. "I'm going to make my way up to Canada too, I've decided. If it wasn't so difficult to get people out I'd ask to just come along."

"Rush, are you _crazy_?" Padme had to put effort into _not _raising her voice, "Getting all the way up there is almost impossible without a car! Why would you want to take such a risk?" She slapped his chest softly, annoyed by such ridiculousness. He had a good life here in New York with the Rebels, what could possibly make him do something so short-sighted?

His face softened and she felt the hand on her shoulder squeeze slightly. "Padme, you must know that I – "

"Obi-wan!" Sabe burst into the room suddenly, panting, "It's – it's Anakin! He and his whole crew are on their way over. Dorme and I spotted them while on the supply run. They have their pet with them!"

Panic exploded into the room. There was cursing and pacing as everyone reacted to the news. Anakin and the Imperials _never _stepped into Rebel territory unless to call for a code red. It wasn't done. And there was certainly no need to bring their monster along.

"We can't go anywhere without the gas." Ahsoka grit her teeth. "We're stuck here until it comes. Obi-wan, how long ago did you send your guys?"

He glanced at the ornate grandfather clock against the wall. "About twenty minutes ago."

"They won't even be on the way _back_!" The younger girl cried.

"_Why _would he bring the monster?" Bail asked, "there's no cause that I can see. No one's had a run-in with any Imperials lately?"

"Not that I know of." Obi-wan ran a hand through his hair. "Mon, go make sure everyone has at least one weapon on them… If this turns into a fight then everyone must be prepared."

"Right." The redhead nodded and ran from the room.

"Sabe, how long do we have?" Obi-wan asked.

"A few minutes at the most."

"Padme, don't worry," Rush pulled her aside from the crowd, "I'll make sure he doesn't come anywhere _near _you with that thing."

She wasn't given a chance to respond. A feral roar from the street pulled everyone's attention to the window on the left where the sound had come from. Bail pushed aside the gauzy drape and grit his teeth. "They're already here… At least fifteen of them."

"Why so many?" Padme asked.

"There's a reason he's here…" Ahsoka grimaced, "something must have set him off."

Obi-wan curled his hands into tight fists and stormed ahead, barging passed Padme and Rush as he made toward the door. Everyone followed their leader, some holding their weapons, ready to fight whilst others lingered near the back of the group. The Rebel leader didn't hesitate before ripping the heavy wooden bar that held the door closed off and throwing it to the floor with the dull _thud_. The door swung open as he charged outside, Bail a step behind.

Across the street, Anakin Skywalker stood proudly with Aphra on his right holding the silver chain leash that held his monster's jaw shut. On the left was a tall, broad man Padme recognised as the one to raise the code red. He looked as grim as Anakin did smug. It didn't bode well at all, like a thunderstorm darkening the sky.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan yelled louder than she'd ever heard him. "This is Rebel territory, what are you doing here?"

Behind her, people whispered frantically between themselves, growing frightened and fretful. The Imperial's had never dared come this close to the Rebel base before now… It had to mean something and it couldn't be good.

"Well, well, well!" Anakin adjusted the collar of his black coat against the cool wind. "Who do we have here? It's Snips! You a Rebel now, Ahsoka?"

Beside her, the girl's breath caught in her throat. "I'm just passing through."

He chuckled then, mirthlessly. "You always were a terrible liar, Ahsoka. One of my people saw someone filling up a tank of gas while we were out hunting and there's only one person I know who still uses a car…" His hand gestured toward the younger girl. "I know why you're here." His sinister blue gaze flicked to Padme. "Taking a little trip up north, Naberrie?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Padme called out. She watched him closely, this young man, as he smirked and intimated people younger and older than him as easily as breathing. He was absolutely _magnetic_… He scared her as much as he fascinated her. As much as she hated to admit it, there was something about him that made it difficult to look away. A moment later, he caught her looking and smiled before returning his eyes to Obi-wan.

"I am here for a reason," Anakin declared proudly, "I want to make a deal, Kenobi and it's a good one."

"Is that so?"

"Mmhm. Remember the convenience store on the upper East side? I'll give it to you – in fact, I'm willing to give you that entire _block…_ For a price."

"And what price would that be?" Obi-wan called back.

That area was _filled _with stores still stocked with food and water… It was _stupid _of Anakin to even consider letting it go. It didn't make any logistical sense at all. People around her murmured just that to one another, intrigued by the possibility of better supplies.

"All I want in return… Is _her_." Anakin lifted his right hand and pointed directly at Padme. Her stomach dropped while her heart leapt up into her throat at the same time. _No, no, no… She'd been so close to getting away_. This was exactly what they'd hoped to avoid.

"Forget it!" Obi-wan seethed. "We have plenty of food supplies of our own."

"_Is he serious?"_ Someone behind her said, "_we __**need **__that extra food, it'll be winter soon!"_

"_I mean, I like Padme, but c'mon, this is ridiculous! Just send her over." _Another muttered.

Sabe reared around suddenly, "Hey! I hear another word like that and I'll feed you to that thing over there myself!"

"I'll help." Dorme glared viciously at the group behind them.

Anakin chuckled lowly and took three steps closer to Obi-wan. "Alright, you drive a hard bargain, old man… How about, I give you _half _of that block and I don't set my pet off on you all right now? Hmm?"

"How about you go to _hell_!" Rush cried. "We have guns; we'll shoot the beast down."

The two men shared a glance before Anakin pointed at Rush, looking back to Obi-wan again. "One more word from him and he dies first."

"_Rush_!" Padme hissed, "Don't make things worse!"

"It's no deal, Anakin. Take your group off our territory and don't come back." The auburn-haired man growled. "I don't want to hear you talking about Padme again."

"That is a shame," the blonde Imperial Leader drawled, "It really _is _a shame… Aphra." He looked over his shoulder and nodded. The raven-haired woman grinned wildly and reached down to the hook that held the beast on its leash, ready to flick it open and unleash hell.

"Obi-wan, come on! You can't let him do this!" Someone cried.

"You're going to let us _all _die just to keep one woman?" Someone else screamed.

"Stop it, all of you!" Dorme spoke up again, "If he takes Padme today then what's next?"

"Obi-wan as much as I hate to say, perhaps it's the right thing to do…" Mon glanced guiltily between Padme and Anakin.

Voices came from every person at every angle and all blended into one sharp noise. The leashed creature shrieked and reared up on its hind legs in protest as Padme massaged her temples with both hands, trying to _think_.

"_Enough!"_ She screams and everyone quietened down at once. "This is ridiculous! I'm _not _worth all this nonsense."

Anakin held up a hand to pause Aphra who huffed and stood straight again. "Oh, come on, Obi-wan… It'd be a shame for you and your little club to die over something so trivial."

"_Trivial_?" Obi-wan huffed, "Padme's life is_ not _trivial!"

"For once we agree on something." Anakin laughed, "Don't worry about it; I don't want to kill her. I won't hurt a hair on her pretty head, I promise."

"Your word is hardly trustworthy."

Anakin slapped a hand over his heart dramatically, "You wound me."

"I don't care. I don't care what your intentions are because it's _not _happening."

Finally, the Imperial leader's jaw set tightly and his eyes narrowed. He was losing patience and it showed. "You know, honestly? I think part of me was hoping you'd say that. Aphra, unleash – "

"Wait!" A voice surged out and it took her a moment to realise it was her own. It was louder and stronger than she expected, the kind of voice she'd hoped to develop as a lawyer one day with practice but that day never had a chance to come… Until now. Everyone turned to look at her again, some incredulous, some relieved and in Obi-wan's case, furious. Despite it all, the whispering, Ahsoka shaking her head and the excitement that took light in Anakin's eyes, Padme pushed her way through the crowd.

"I want to talk to you." She called to Anakin, "_Alone."_

"Padme, Padme, don't do this!" Obi-wan hissed. "He's crazy. Go back inside where it's safe."

"Come here then." The Imperial raised a curious eyebrow before turning and ushering his group backwards a few steps.

It was stupid, incredibly stupid, but Padme stepped out onto the sidewalk and then the road towards him. She was _done _just standing around listening to others decide her fate. It'd happened too much in her life… Whatever came of this conversation, she was taking the control back. If it meant her friends and fellow Rebels could be safe, she would _gladly _hand herself over to Anakin and the Imperials. She just hoped he made good on his promise.

Slowly, step by step, she made her way toward him, steeling herself the entire time. He let her come to him at her own pace, patient again, something dark dancing in his eyes. She stopped a few feet from where he stood and looked around at his gang. They all watched her intently but Padme could only focus on Anakin. She hadn't been this close to him since the incident in the convenience store. He was so imposing, so much taller than her… Something alluring and dangerous radiated off him and Padme felt like it was going to swallow her whole.

Bracing herself, she spoke up. "I said alone. You aren't exactly alone."

He looked at her for a moment before chuckling; it made him look years younger. "Little spitfire," he murmured before turning back to his crew. "Everyone move back there to the stop sign."

It was a few meters away and gave _just _enough privacy for their words to go unheard. His followers did as they were told, directed by the man who'd stood to Anakin's left. They were still surrounded, the Rebels on one side and the Imperials on the other. It was the closest she would get to alone.

"There." Anakin took a step closer to Padme, "now talk."

"I have to know, why did you save my life?" Before any of this could continue she had to understand why he'd sought her out and saved her. More than once too. There had to be a reason, a purpose behind it… Anakin Skywalker never did anything without his reasons, she'd gathered that much.

He smiled. "Which time?"

"How many times were there?"

"A few."

"I don't understand." She shook her head. "You don't even _know _me." At that, he scoffed which made her stiffen. "Just because we shared a few classes in school – "

"Four." Anakin interrupted her, "We shared four classes. You sat in the fourth row in homeroom – that was my favourite. You always pretended to be listening but you weren't – you kept scribbling little notes on that week's Debate Club meeting in your notebooks or reading '_Romeo and Juliet' _for the thousandth time. The apocalypse could have hit there and then and you wouldn't have noticed."

Padme stared at him, gaping, as her heart pounded in her chest. How could he have _possibly _remembered all that? Why would he even have _noticed_? She thought he'd disliked her – in the few interactions they'd had at school he seemed like he'd _hated_ her.

Why did it feel as though her blood was racing through her veins?

"I… Is that why you're doing all of this? Because you had a high school crush on me?" She stammered.

He rolled his eyes, "don't be ridiculous."

"Then _what_?" It was Padme who moved closer now, "Why are you doing this? What do you want with me?"

"Does the reason even matter?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes!" She cried, incredulous. "You want me to come with you, I need to know why."

Anakin took another step toward her and Padme's heart picked up its pace. They'd never been closer not even in the store the other day. She could feel the heat from his body and felt her breath catch. "Alright, I'll tell you why," he said, his voice quiet, almost tender. "I want you to come with me because, with me, you'll stay _alive_. Kenobi and his band of merry Rebels are good enough but ultimately, he'll let you die. I won't." She didn't know what to say. She'd had no idea what his reasoning could have been but was still surprised. Anakin glanced over his shoulder and gestured toward his followers. "We're _survivors_, Padme." He said proudly, "We'll do whatever it takes to live and to live _well_. We're not hiding like the Rebels, shaking in fear over the monsters. _We _seek them out and we cut them down before they can get to us."

"How is _that _safer?" She scoffed.

"Fear isn't a shield. It's a handicap. Stare at death in the face – and death won't take you, death scares you – you scare it right _back. __It's the only way to win."_

There was a fire, a _determination_ in his words that made Padme's stomach clench and her heart beat so fast that it hurt. Anakin seemed to notice and smiled. His hand reached forward to brush some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear gently.

"Come away with me," he whispered, "come back to the Empire and live well with us. You don't have just get by day to day… I'll make things the way you want them to be and I'll make sure you never have to worry about the monsters again. I'll _rip them apart _if they come near you, you know I can."

Padme remembered him, brutal, wild and blood-stained on the battlefield and she couldn't help but feel tempted to follow him, despite her better judgment. She didn't understand why, why he wanted _her_, why he decided to go up against Obi-wan to protect her… _Nothing _about any of this made any sense.

"I gave you a reason… Now the choice is yours." He finished and stepped back three careful steps. Padme's head pounded. Temptation and fear battled each other in her heart and mind. He was dangerous but he was also safety. He could destroy the Rebels if he wanted to… It would only take one order, one hand gesture and his followers would release the monster.

Because _that _was why he had brought it along in the first place, wasn't it? Not just to frighten them, no, if Padme disagreed and returned to the Rebels, Anakin would set his beast on them. He almost had earlier! How could she have let herself forget, even just for a moment that he was a _monster_ too? He was despicable. Horrendous.

He looked so utterly triumphant because he _knew_ that she was caged, trapped… How could she ever choose to remain here with the Rebels when she knew it would seal their fate? Padme _hated_ him suddenly – it didn't even matter that he saved her life anymore. Anakin Skywalker was vile; he was awful, completely rotten to the core…

He said the choice was hers but truth be told, there _was_ no real choice here.

"I'll come with you." Padme declared.

Anakin's smile was so twisted he hardly looked _human _for a moment. He turned back toward the Imperials, took a half-step and extended his hand toward her. It was over, the deal was done. Padme's life for the lives of the Rebels. She was afraid but held no regrets, this was the _right _thing to do.

She took a long breath and slipped her hand into Anakin's.

"Padme!" Obi-wan cried.

"Padme, no!" Rush was louder.

"Don't do it!" Sabe yelled.

And the rest was one wall of multiple voices mixed together so that no words escaped the crowd.

"She's made her choice!" Anakin called over his shoulder. "The upper East Side block is all yours."

"I swear, Anakin if you hurt her!" Obi-wan shouted, fury laced through every word. "I'll kill you myself!"

He pulled her close and laughed. "She's one of us. She'll be fine."

Padme hardly dared to look back at the Rebels as Anakin began to pull her away but forced herself to take one last glance. Dorme and Sabe looked angry and shocked, Ahsoka seemed darkly resigned, Rush looked heartbroken, Bail guilty, Mon passive and Obi-wan more upset than she'd ever seen him. He knew and he knew that Padme knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn't fight back or change things… He could only watch as she was pulled away from them forever. He had to sacrifice her for the sake of everyone else.

This world was that cruel.

Anakin and the Imperials led Padme through the streets, keeping his hand entwined with hers the whole time. The morning's light was bleak and grey as if sensing her mood. It wasn't warm or bright – it was grim, cold and unforgiving. Padme shivered in the cold wind and felt Anakin's hand slip away from hers. A second later, his jacket fell over her shoulders.

Padme felt like she could cry as his scent enveloped her suddenly, like a poisonous cloud.

Who would have thought in this new world where the monsters reigned, a world brimming with death and blood, it would be human man, ultimately, who would _devour_ her. It was almost worse to know he wouldn't even do it with teeth or claws, no – he'd do with his heart, his dark, blackened, _selfish_ heart.

Over this, Padme thought as tears brimmed in her eyes, she'd rather take the monsters.

**_Please review and tell me what you think!_**


	4. Chapter 4

Living in New York, Padme had heard of The Empire hotel before, seen the outside of it many times but she'd never been inside before. It'd always been covered in glittering lights, plush carpets and some of the city's most beautiful architecture. Only the wealthiest and most elite guests ever stepped foot on the vivid red carpet rolled out from the lobby and silly as it was, she'd always wanted to be one of those people. It was a daydream she aspired to achieve, a fantasy to get lost in while zoning out in class.

The Empire hotel wasn't how Padme imagined it would be.

The once bright red sign which shone atop the famous rooftop reading "_Hotel Empire"_ had died and faded out to a nasty blackened colour, lifeless as the rest of the city and the little fantasy died in her chest at the sight of something so iconic to her beloved city in ruins. As she was led inside the once glamourous building, Padme was greeted by worn down carpets, weapons _everywhere_, torn paintings and dead plants. Whatever magic this place had once held was gone.

It was certainly larger than the Coruscant and warmer on the inside too, something she was immensely grateful for. Winters in New York were always tough but in this new world the cold was another killer stalking humanity. Anakin tugged her into the centre of the room, where a once-grand desk stood proud and abandoned around an area with ripped booth couches and matching stools. The floor was a gorgeous contrasting black and gold square design, possibly marble, but she couldn't tell beneath the grime.

"Welcome home!" Anakin declared with a smile as the Imperials spread out, heading for doorways or sofas, dropping their weapons as they pleased. Obi-wan would have had a stroke if he saw the mess. The thought was painful and unwelcome as she forced herself to meet his blue gaze. _This isn't my home,_ she thought bitterly, _it's my cage._ She bit her tongue and said nothing. No point in making him angry and putting her friend's lives in danger, was there?

To the left, a man walked over to an opened fuse box and flicked a thick black switch upwards and suddenly light burst to life across the room. It was dim, nothing compared to the lights she'd once known but it had been so long since Padme had seen an _active _light that a wondrous gasp slipped past her lips. "You… You still have _electricity_?"

"Not enough for the whole building… We found an old generator and got it hooked up. Just a few rooms, mostly the common use ones." He shrugged as though it was nothing. "Gives us a little light and heat when it's cold… I told you, Padme, we like to _live_ not scrape by." The appearance of the light was captivating. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it even as her head began to hurt from the exposure. Somehow, the slight brightness romanticised the ruins of the hotel, casting an ethereal glow across everything so that she almost couldn't see the dirt anymore. Sad as it was, Padme found it beautiful.

Still looking around, she was surprised by how many people lingered around without coats or weapons, people who had clearly stayed behind this morning. She'd always known the Imperial's had better numbers than the Rebels did but there was so many! Still not enough fill up the enormous cluster of bedrooms the building had to offer… The Rebels and Imperials could easily live together and still have rooms to spare. _If only it were that simple_…

The people who'd stayed behind looked at Padme curiously as she walked with their leader. It was difficult not to squirm beneath their gaze as they exchanged surprised glances and quiet whispers. Had they known that Anakin left to get her? Did he tell people about her or was she simply a new recruit?

Following Anakin through the room, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Aphra lead the monster carefully through a large revolving door even as it growled and pulled back. The door went beyond her view but Padme shuddered anyway. Whatever was inside there couldn't be anything good. She imagined a cold, dank cell littered with bones and human remains, the kind she'd seen the monsters leave in their wake after a hunt. How else could it be? The thing had to eat after all. She tried not to think about it any further.

She was lead through a spacious arched doorway where a golden luggage trolley was pushed up against a wall, in its space made for people's cases and trunks sat a chest full of bullets. The Imperials were armed to the _teeth_. Padme had never seen so many bullets in the Coruscant in all her time there… Weapons weren't exactly sparse but they certainly weren't lining every surface the way they did here. _How did they have so many_? When the monsters first began appearing, people raced to gain a licence for guns – some simply surpassed the licence and sought out the weapon illegally for protection. There was more demand for firearms than New York could fulfil… And then it was too late. How had Anakin and his group gathered so many?

Two sets of elevator doors sat side by side and shut tightly, unsurprising since most of the city no longer had access to electricity. Even those lucky enough to stumble across generators like the Imperials could never channel enough power to work something like that. Light and heat were far better uses for such power anyway. Anakin led her passed them and toward a wide, vivid green-carpeted staircase which curved around as it climbed higher.

"I wish I could say it's an easy walk…" He winced and scratched at the back of his neck, "but it's – I mean – well, it sucks. But you'll get used to it."

"A walk to where?" She asked quietly following the Imperial up the steps.

They moved around the first curve and further upwards, curving again. Glancing back at her, Anakin smiled. "Sleeping quarters. There're some people living around the first four floors but mostly everyone wanted to go higher."

"Higher? To get away from the monsters?"

"Partly. But mostly it's because the higher the floor, the better the room." Anakin winked and stretched his legs to skip two steps, climbing higher faster than she could keep up with. At the passing of the third floor, her legs began to burn and her chest tightened. Padme breathed carefully to avoid panting too loudly and let him know she was struggling. Her room in the Coruscant had been on the second floor, she wasn't used to steep stairways! Besides, the exertion barely seemed to affect him at all, there was no way she was going to give him that win.

"So…" Padme forced a breath through her burning lungs, "so, if everyone wants to live in the higher rooms, who decides on where everyone sleeps?" _Was she sweating? _God, she'd thought she was relatively fit! In the old world, she would have had to pause for a break by now so that was something at least, right? How much higher was he going to make her go? If he was giving her a bedroom, she would _happily _take one on the next floor if it meant no more stairs.

"I do." He shrugged as though it was obvious, "if you're good for the group and me, then you get one of the good rooms… If you slack off, you get downgraded and someone else gets it."

"That sounds like a lot of upheavals."

Back in the Coruscant, your room was simply your room. No moving or changes unless absolutely necessary. Obi-wan had a piece of paper somewhere with a list of occupied rooms and the names of who slept where… He liked the order it brought to the group.

"Do what you're asked to do and do it well, that way you don't have to worry about upheaval." Anakin said. "It's an incentive; people want the best quarters and the bragging rights that come with it. Good way to keep the group happy."

Padme's knees felt weak from climbing, she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take without pausing for a minute or two. "How… How does moving people around… Keep them happy?"

They reached the fifth floor sign and Anakin paused, leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Take a breath, Naberrie. You look like you're about to pass out."

He wasn't wrong, she was sure, it certainly felt that way but that didn't stop the flush of mortification that swept through her. Had she really been that obvious? _Damn. _Folding her arms across her chest, Padme rolled her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, hoping he didn't notice. "I'm fine."

Anakin barked a laugh and shook his head. "Don't be stubborn. Sit down if you need to." He gestured to the stairs and Padme felt tempted, wanting nothing more than to rest her tired legs but something about admitting that fact to him felt like defeat so she held her tongue.

"I don't need a seat and anyway, you didn't answer my question."

"What question?" He asked and then began to yawn, stretching his arms up above his head as his body stretched with the movement, causing the dark green shirt he wore to ride up slightly, just enough to expose a slither of tanned, muscled stomach before Padme snatched her eyes away and looked at the carpet instead. _How did he get so muscular? The boy she remembered had been lanky and slim… Stop! _She shouldn't like that.

"How does constantly moving people around rooms make them happy? People want normalcy, routine… A space of their own, not to live on some merry go round."

"The Empire," Anakin gestured around him, "is our space. It belongs to everyone who calls themselves an Imperial. I know old man Kenobi is rigid as a rock but things are more relaxed here, Padme. The way I do things, everyone gets their turn in the best suites. No one misses out on the best parts of the place."

Was it… Was it wrong that that actually made some _sense_? Rotating rooms didn't sound very fun but in these days people had fewer possessions to move around with them, switching places wouldn't take very much planning or effort and if it was made to seem like a reward? Padme could see how people might get caught up in that.

"Where do you sleep then?" She asked, "Do you change rooms?"

He grinned wolfishly, pushing himself away from the wall and unfolded his arms to point upwards. "Presidential suite. And I'd change rooms if someone took over as leader… But no one here would dare challenge me for it." That was hardly surprising. She'd read somewhere once that the Presidential suite cost around $10,000 a night and was almost impossible to book unless you happened to be the _actual _President or a celebrity. Padme couldn't imagine what a room that expensive might have looked like in the old world and dreaded to imagine how it might be now. Luxury didn't exist anymore so what purpose did a private space that big serve? "Come on," Anakin said then, "it's up on the 10th floor and I want to get there before the sun goes down."

The small jab at her fitness went by unnoticed as dread tugged at her stomach at the prospect of five more floors.

* * *

Anakin's suit was bigger than Padme's old apartment. There were multiple rooms within the space, a small conference room, an area seemingly built to represent a living room with cream and gold colourings that still shone like new, a dining room, two bathrooms and one bedroom. Unlike downstairs, the entire area had been preserved, almost as if time had stopped here and the mess of the outside hadn't made inside yet. It was unabashedly beautiful; she didn't know where to look. Each room had its own colour schemes and large gleaming chandeliers which reflected small rainbows across the patterned walls.

The most wonderful part was the _view_. The once iconic skyline of New York stretched on for miles and miles as far as Padme could see from the floor to ceiling windows. It was exquisite; the kind of image people had paid to be put onto canvases or painted into art. It also hurt, badly, to see something of the city she'd loved so much before. For so long she'd dreamed of coming here and seeing a view like this… If she focused enough, it would be easy to pretend that was how things were. She could just look to the left, stare at the Empire State Building and everything was normal again.

"How do you ever leave this room?" Padme breathed. She could stand here for a thousand years and never get tired of it. It made her smile and ache both at once. A piece of the home she'd known still existed high up here above the clouds… It was _good _to know that but it hurt too. All this time she'd been too focused on what was in front of her on the ground, too busy thinking about the next monster, the next bullet's aim to realise the beauty that still existed above her. Did anyone see it down there?

"I didn't at first." Anakin's voice came from behind her. "Before I built up a group to live here with me, I just stared and stared out there and it made me angry."

"Angry?" Padme turned away from the view to frown at him. "Why?"

He glowered at the table he lingered near. "Because… Because there were people who lived here in the old days, people who had _everything _while the rest of us down there on the ground had to work our asses off for every cent we got. And when the world went to hell? They all fucked off on their planes and helicopters and left us to die. I _hated _them for it… Until I realised something."

"What's that?"

"Their world is dead. The monsters killed it… Now, people like me, like us, we get to take charge. That's where all this comes from, Padme, the Imperials, we want to live _well_ in the new world, not mourn the old one which didn't care if we lived or died."

It was a strange thing to see the passion that lit up Anakin's face as he talked. He'd always been so calm and in control in their previous run-ins, Padme hadn't thought he'd be capable of, well, _feelings._ In hindsight, it was silly of her to think like that. Of course, someone so charismatic and magnetic could muster up strong emotions about subjects he cared about, he _had to_. How else could he have inspired so many people to join the Imperials? To live or die at his side?

The thought was sobering and it brought Padme back to reality.

She shrugged off his coat and held it out, more than warmed by the stairs and the room temperature. "Here," she said, not responding to his speech. "You can have this back."

Anakin rounded the table and moved toward her where she stood by the window. Carefully, he took it from her and threw it over the back of one the red chairs lining the glass table. "Were you uncomfortable about everyone looking at you earlier?" He asked quietly.

"Of course I was." Padme rolled her eyes. "I don't like being stared at by strangers."

He laughed breathily. "Don't worry about them… They're just not used to having women around. Most of us forget Aphra is one, honestly, but you don't have anything to worry about."

"Why are the Imperials mostly men anyway?" She couldn't resist asking. Was Aphra really the only woman other than Padme they'd allowed into their ranks? If that were true, then Padme couldn't think of a more ridiculous and wasteful policy. Women were some of the best fighters in the Rebels! She hadn't taken Anakin for a sexist amongst everything else.

Another grin stretched its way across Anakin's face, smugger this time, as if he knew something she didn't. "There used to be women with us but they never last long. They always end up killed faster." When he noticed Padme narrow her eyes with irritation, he laughed again and shook his head. "Don't start the equality rant, Naberrie. I'm not saying women can't keep up, hell; Aphra could kick most of the guys' asses here. It's just that monsters prefer women, they seek them out more."

"They do?" She frowned. That was something she hadn't noticed before… Since joining the Rebels, whenever there'd been monsters around they'd been in a mixed-gender group. It'd been a rush of fear and concentration and adrenaline… The smaller details might have gone over her head.

"Mmhm." He hummed with a nod. "They like blood… And women bleed more than men."

Padme's eyes widened and she felt her mouth slacken with the surprise. _How _had she gotten along this far without noticing something like that? In hindsight, whenever her time of the month came along before joining the Rebels, she had found herself cornered and chased far more often. That was _amazing_ information, the kind that could save lives if he passed it on!

"I didn't know that…" She whispered.

"Not many people do." Anakin conceded. "But then again, not everyone is as smart as I am."

Honestly, Padme wasn't sure if he meant it or if it was supposed to be a joke but the smugness of his voice made her roll her eyes regardless. Despite her derision, however, a light danced in his heated blue gaze.

"Are you afraid of me, Padme?" He asked, voice lowering a little.

What she wanted to tell him was no, that he didn't have that power over her and never would… But that wasn't strictly true. There was something… Something _had _shifted; she wasn't as frightened of him as she'd been before in the store but that fear hadn't faded entirely. Anakin was still unpredictable and dangerous. It would be stupid to let her guard down.

"A little." She admitted honestly.

The answer seemed to please him. "Good." He told her with a satisfied smirk, "You should be."

Padme lifted her eyes to his, ready to narrow them or feel her fear spike by his response but neither of those things happened. She was surprised by what she saw in those blue eyes, a playfulness that matched his mouth, it made him seem younger than he looked and acted and more like the youthful boy she'd gone to school with.

Suddenly, she wasn't scared at all.

"C'mon," Anakin turned on his heel suddenly and walked to the left, "come with me."

Padme followed him to another arched doorway which led to the suite's private bedroom. It boasted the same wall to ceiling windows with another gorgeous view of New York, a ridiculously large wooden four-poster bed and sheer white netting which draped above and around the structure, a golden clawed bathtub lounged near the right wall of the room and two twin red armchairs sat on opposite sides of a small black circular coffee table. There were spaces throughout the room where other furniture or decorative pieces might have been but had been removed whether due to functionality or Anakin's personal taste.

"This is it…" He gestured vaguely to the room at large, "What do you think?"

The area was more lived-in than the rest of the suite, less pristine but still clean enough. It was a beautiful room people would have killed to spend the night in the old world… Or at least, spent a fortune to do so. "It's bigger than I thought it would be." She said.

"Yeah well, make yourself at home." Anakin said, "If you're tired, sleep… My bed is yours."

The way he spoke was heavily suggestive and it made Padme's eyes widen and her face flush bright red. For all she'd seen, all she'd done, the thought of anything sexual with _him? _Terrifying. The thought that _that_ is what Anakin really wanted her for… She didn't dare think about it. At the look on her face however, Anakin laughed as though he'd done it on purpose.

"You really expect me to sleep in here?" Padme asked, gathering her courage.

"Why not?" He shrugged.

"It's hardly appropriate… Isn't there another room I could have?"

"We're full."

At _that_, she scoffed. This was one of the biggest hotels in New York! Unless he was secretly harbouring the majority of survivors here there was simply no way the hotel was at full capacity. "You're _full_?" Padme repeated the words dripping with disbelieving sarcasm.

"We're full," Anakin said again, mirth lighting up his eyes as he held up his hands to shrug again.

She couldn't believe this. "What about the first five floors we passed on the way up here? Hmm? _You _said that there was hardly anyone there because everyone wanted to live higher."

"Oh yeah," he smiled innocently, "we use those for storage."

"_Storage? _Seriously?"

"Mmhm. Lots of stuff laying around… Anyway, get some rest. I'll be back later." She stood frozen as Anakin moved towards her then and lifted his hand to rest on the back of her head, fingers stroking through her hair for one brief moment before his neck bent to press a quick, brutal but strangely affectionate kiss to her forehead. Without another word, he left the bedroom and headed for the main door back to the stairway.

Padme watched him go, waited until she heard the click of the door closing behind him before she un-tensed her muscles. Glancing back at the bed behind her, she felt a quiver in her stomach…

What the hell was she supposed to do next?


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: So many of you thought Anakin was being a creeper in the last chapter… C'mon guys, give our boy some credit! ;)**_

Padme woke slowly, blinking and yawning blearily as the high decorated ceiling came into focus above her. In the space of a moment, the events of yesterday came rushing back into her mind and stole her breath. She wasn't in the Coruscant with the Rebels anymore, she was in the Empire with the Imperials and Anakin… The thought of the Imperial leader sent a cold shudder of dread racing through her as she remembered _exactly _where she was.

Slowly, terrified, Padme slid her fingers across the bedsheets and found the other side of the wide mattress cold and empty. But… _What? _Bolting upright, she frowned as her eyes scanned the bedroom. Anakin wasn't here. She'd thought that… Well, he'd been so insistent on her sleeping in here, it'd made her think… _What was he playing at? _The other side of the bed hadn't been slept in and there was no sign of him anywhere.

Throwing the covers back, Padme slipped out of bed and padded across the soft, plush carpet toward the living room area beyond the arched bedroom doorway. Anakin and some of his crew had gone out last night hunting… Maybe something had happened? Maybe the monsters had gotten him the way they'd killed so many others. No, she couldn't believe that. The Imperial was an enigma, larger than life, he couldn't be killed that easily.

A strange feeling pooled low in her stomach as she glanced back over her shoulder at the empty bed. What _was _it? Relief? Confusion? _Disappointment? _No, that was ridiculous. She was just unsettled by these new living arrangements. All the change was going to take a little getting used was all. She felt like a child whose security blanket had been taken away, unsafe, unsupported and vulnerable to monsters beneath the bed.

Only, the real monsters were outside not under the bed.

Making her way into the living room area, Padme started at the sound of breathing. Frowning, the former Rebel crept toward the nearest sofa and peered over its cushioned edge to find the Imperial leader sleeping soundly, peacefully unaware of her presence. _Did he sleep out here? Why would he do that? _For all the hotel had probably spent on the furniture, the sofas didn't look very comfortable to rest on for a full night judging by Anakin's posture. His head rested at an awkward elevated angle on the arm of the sofa while his legs were too long to fully lay on and had to be bent to avoid going over the other arm. _How could he sleep like that? It looked awful. _

Why would he choose to endure such an uncomfortable night when he had a perfectly good bed right in there? What was the point in denying Padme a room of her own just to take the sofa? Last night Anakin had almost made it seem like… Like he'd _wanted _something from her… But, evidently not. Why was he doing this? Was this all some kind of game he was playing without telling her the rules? It felt like she was stumbling around blindly trying to find her way to safety. She shook her head and pulled her gaze away. Understanding this man was _impossible_.

Padme explored the rooms a little more thoroughly while Anakin slept, touching things, opening drawers and cabinets but there was little to find. She'd been right yesterday; the bedroom was the only lived in part of this space. _So wasteful. There were still people out there living in the streets. _She wasn't stupid, not everyone could seek protection under the Rebel and Imperial roofs, that would make it easier for the monsters to smell them and hunt them… And it would be difficult to find a way to live together without fights or arguments over space and supplies… Still, she wished it were that simple.

Around thirty minutes later, Anakin woke with a loud yawn and stretched his arms above his head, rolling his stiff shoulders. Padme had settled by a high risen table and chairs near the window gazing out at the New York skyline. Hearing him rouse, she turned, resting her chin on her palm and watched him sit up, rubbing his eyes.

"Morning." She said.

"Mmm," Anakin grunted back. "Fuck, my neck his killing me."

He was still dressed in the clothes he went out in last night, Padme noticed. She'd done the same thing… In all the confusion of yesterday, she'd forgotten to pick up her little bag of belonging before leaving with Anakin and she'd been so afraid of sharing a bed with him that taking off any clothing simply hadn't been an option. The last thing she'd wanted to do was _encourage_ anything…

"You slept here all night?" Padme asked quietly.

He ran his hand through messy curls and yawned again. "Not all night. We got back in pretty late but yeah, I settled here."

Resting her forearms on the cold silver table face, she shook her head. "But I thought… Why did you want me to sleep in here if…" Flushing, she looked up at the ceiling to avoid meeting Anakin's eye and tried to summon the will to finish. "I got the _impression _last night that you wanted to share the bed." The last few words tumbled passed her lips awkwardly and it took all of Padme's willpower not to cover her face with her hands.

Anakin grinned at that. "Did you wake up disappointed, Naberrie?" He chuckled before his expression grew more serious. "There's a lot of men around here who haven't been around a woman other than Aphra in a long time, Padme. Aphra can kick any guy's ass six ways to Sunday for harassing her, believe me, but you…" His blue gaze travelled from her feet to her eyes slowly. "Well, I've seen your aim."

She scoffed even as her mind reeled. "It wouldn't be the first guy I had to fight off. I was out there on my own before the Rebels, y'know. And my aim isn't _that _bad…"

"I know." Anakin muttered darkly, "It's just better you stay up here… The door locks don't work like they used to in the old days. You're safer here."

She'd never considered that before. In all her frightened spiralling last night Anakin had been the immediate danger to her safety not anyone else. With the Rebels, everyone felt connected, warm and friendly but the Imperial group were colder… There wasn't the same sense of comradery here. Padme was going to miss that.

"Well… Thank you… For looking out for me like that." Directing those words at Anakin Skywalker, the bully boy, the fierce and cruel Imperial was strange but so far he'd earned them. He'd saved her life, hadn't he? Now he was ensuring her safety inside his base too. It was a nice thing to do, _kind even… _But what did he want from her? He'd taken the couch rather than make her uncomfortable by sharing _his _bed. It was all so confusing. "I'll sleep out here from now on." Padme declared, "I'm shorter than you so it makes more sense."

"It's fine." Anakin waved her off and stood up, stretching again. "Take the bed, Padme. I don't mind."

"It's _your _bed!"

"And I'm giving it to you." He laughed and moved passed the table Padme had settled at. "I'm going to get changed and head downstairs for breakfast. Did you eat?"

"No, not yet." She murmured. From where she sat, Padme could see a sliver of the bedroom area and Anakin walking around it. He vanished from her view momentarily before reappearing shirtless and tugging open a drawer. _She should look away, she should really look away… _How was he so tanned? And well-muscled? Her head tipped slightly as she watched him pull out a shirt from the opened drawer and pull it over his head. If she was being honest, she supposed Anakin was good looking. In a merely aesthetic way of course. He was the kind of man her old friends might have giggled and ogled but she knew better.

"Are you changing?" Anakin called out, his voice startling Padme out of her thoughts. Mortified by her staring, she forced her eyes back to the window instead. The view there was safer.

"Oh, um, no. I didn't bring my bag." She replied. There hadn't exactly been much of a chance to turn back inside and get anything then… She'd been so shaken that the thought hadn't occurred to her. It was stupid in hindsight. It had only been a small collection of clothes, nothing sentimental or special, anything like that was long gone by now… Still, she was going to have to get her hands on clothes soon and Padme had the impression Aphra wouldn't be keen on sharing for a while.

"I didn't think of that." His voice pulled her back, "sorry. I'll get you some, I promise."

* * *

That was how it was for weeks and then months. Two months altogether. Padme settled into the oversized bed of the presidential suite every night while Anakin curled up on the sofa beneath the soft blanket that'd lived on the bed's edge beforehand. Sometimes they settled down for the night together and other times separately. More often he'd come in late or in the early hours after a hunt with his crew while she slept or laid between the sheets and listened out for his return. It became part of the… _routine _to hear him enter the room. Something about it was soothing. Anakin came through on his promise on new clothes two days after their conversation, Padme woke up to a pile of tank tops, shirts, sweaters and pants one morning and somehow all in the correct size. Something told her he might have forced some help out of Aphra for that… Still, she was grateful to have options and choice once again.

The entire situation felt fragile and odd but it also felt like it was _working_… And so, she decided to wait and see. Slowly, as the days passed, the Empire began to feel a little like home just like the Coruscant had. Padme did as she was told for the most part, just like everyone else did, taking her share of the daily tasks and passing the days with as much activity as she could find. Over time, some of the Imperials began to warm to her. She learned the name of the man who'd called the code red, Rex, a New Zealander who'd moved to America a year before the monsters showed up. He'd lost contact with his parents and twin brother when things got bad and hadn't learned their fates. She also met Kit with his long black dreadlocks tied in a bun; he'd been one of the founding members of the Imperials and had just graduated med school when the world collapsed. Through Kit, Padme learned Aphra had been an archaeologist in the old world and that Anakin had saved her from being ripped to pieces by a monster.

Both Rex and Kit had given her a formal welcome to the Empire with handshakes and warm smiles but the former archaeologist had merely rolled her eyes and wandered off to speak with Anakin by one of the booths. _What a shame, _Padme had thought at the time, _the only other woman here and we can't be friends._

It'd been the Imperial Leader himself who'd introduced her to some of the others in the building. He pointed out men such as Willhuff Tarkin, a _"boring bastard but dangerously clever"_, as Anakin described him, another man by the name of Galen Erso who's best friend and daughter had disappeared as the monsters began to spread, a mysterious older man who went only by his surname, Dooku, and former professional boxer whose face was patterned with intricate tattoos named Maul. There were others around who weren't pointed out and she wondered whether it was because Anakin didn't deem them worthy of his time and attention or simply because he just didn't _know _them well enough to introduce her.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

One night, Padme was dozing in the tender space between sleep and wakefulness when a loud _crash_ slammed her firmly into the side of awake. She sat up, heart hammering in her chest as the sound of heavy footsteps thundered through the suite. _Who was that? Anakin? But he was usually so quiet when he came back at night…_ Without thinking, she reached for the small black Glock she kept on the bedside table and slipped out of bed. There was no reason for anyone other than Anakin to come in here, so if one of the Imperials had, it wasn't good.

Padme's heart pounded fiercely, almost painful inside her ribs, in a way it didn't do around the monsters anymore. Fighting monsters had long ago become the cruel reality of her world but feeling under threat by another human? That was a whole new kind of nightmare… Her palms sweated around the handle of the gun. Steeling herself, she all but threw herself into the living room area and flicked the safety off.

"What are you doing up here?!" She cried, pointing the gun at the shadowy intruder as they came forward. A moment later, the dim moonlight cast just enough brightness into the dark room to reveal Anakin's face as he collapsed onto the sofa that'd he'd made his bed. He rubbed his face with his hand and heaved a sigh, not speaking. Padme gasped and almost dropped the gun to the carpet, just barely remembering to switch the safety back on before placing the weapon onto a nearby table. "Oh my god, Anakin! I almost _shot you! _What the hell are you playing at?"

Padme watched him run a hand through his hair. His wrists were smeared with blood. After a moment, Anakin pulled off his boots and threw them brutally across the room with a frustrated grunt. Something was wrong… Had someone in his night crew been killed? She thought of Rex and Kit and paled… God, she hoped everyone was alright. "Hey…" She said softly and carefully made her way to the sofa. "Anakin, talk to me… What's wrong?"

When she sat down beside him, the Imperial shook his head before lifting it away from his palm. Padme watched his throat bob as he swallowed. "There was a girl out there tonight." He spoke lowly, "she was all alone and… And she looked like you – big brown eyes and curls." Anakin's searing gaze blazed into hers, the distress within them was painful to look at. She hated to imagine how it must feel. "She was being chased by two of the creatures when we came onto the street but they were too close to do anything. _God, _Padme, the way she was screaming for help…" He shook his head again. "Kit shot at them but it didn't make them stop. I don't think they've had a feed in a few days… They ripped her to pieces. We killed them but that doesn't change how she died."

He trembled and shivered before her eyes but Padme could hardly believe what she saw… This was _Anakin Skywalker_, the Imperial Leader, the cold and cruel man who threatened Obi-wan's life, the bully boy from her school… And yet here he was with tears in his eyes over the death of a strange girl. She hadn't seen anyone cry other the fate of a stranger in a very long time. Untimely and violent death had become just another fact of the world these days, most people had hardened their hearts to the lives of others in order to preserve themselves. Padme had thought for sure Anakin was one of them.

Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted a hand to place her palm against his back softly. It was the best comfort her reeling mind could muster up right now. After a moment, Padme built the courage to gently stroke up and down his spine over the coarse, over-worn material of his shirt. "You can't blame yourself for something like that…" She whispered, "save for drawing those things closer to yourself and the others, there was nothing you could have done." Waiting a moment, she added, "it wasn't your fault, Anakin."

He was silent for a long time before he drew her free hand into his and brought her wrist to his warm lips. The contact made her tense until his fingers squeezed hers tightly. "Thank you, Padme…" Anakin's eyes were warm but no less troubled than before. "You should get some sleep." He released her but she remained there for several seconds before pushing up off the sofa with a nod. Yes… Sleep. She should definitely get back to sleep. Not that any tiredness lingered in her eyes or mind anymore, how could it after that? "Goodnight," Anakin called after her as she lingered in the doorway between the two rooms.

"Goodnight, Anakin…" Padme managed to say, tearing her eyes away from the man with a strange heaviness she'd never felt before weighing on her chest. Something unspoken lingered on her lips, words her heart wanted to say but mind hadn't crafted yet. It wasn't easy to talk to him like this, to see this hidden layer beneath the smirk and smug exterior, no, it shattered almost every belief she'd held about this man and something about that frightened her. Finally, she turned toward the bedroom and forced herself to not look back.

_**Please review and let me know what you think!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Sorry it's been forever since I updated! University had been crazy lately and it's been killing me. Hopefully, things will calm down in about a month or so. Until then, enjoy!**_

Two months passed and a strange sort of peacefulness settled over Padme's life in the Empire hotel. She fell into a comfortable routine that would have made any survivor happy but something niggled in her chest, whispering that this little life wasn't enough. Day after day, she woke a little more restless than the last until no matter what she did or who she talked to, she was _bored_.

Padme wasn't the same girl she'd been before the world had fallen apart. She was scarred and hardened. Forever changed but for better or for worse the damage was done. She could never enjoy a quiet life again.

Every night Anakin led his chosen hunting party out into the daylight or shadows of night and maybe it was _crazy _but Padme watched them go enviously. She missed it, going outside on stock runs or patrols… Hell, if she was honest with herself, she missed the thrill of possibly dying every day.

Anyone else might have thought she was insane but it was what Padme was _used to_. She missed the fighting, the running, the _fear_… The lack of it was making her twitchy. It was unsettling to feel safe inside the Empire's walls.

Her trips outside with Bail, Dorme, Clovis and Sabe felt like so long ago… She missed it. Missed her old friends.

One day, almost shaking from the boredom of staying indoors, Padme gathered her courage and approached the Imperial leader as he lounged in a corner with Aphra whispering in his ear. If she didn't know any better, she might have believed they were a couple. They were almost always together when he wasn't upstairs in their suite and the dark-haired women was _always _in his hunting parties.

Honestly, it was a wonder he wanted Padme here at all when he already had a woman hanging on his every word.

Anakin's searing gaze lifted to see her approach and he quirked a curious eyebrow, pulling away from Aphra even as she continued to speak. "What can we do for you, Naberrie?" He seemed surprised to see her and Padme couldn't blame him. Outside of the suite, she never sought him out, never went out of her way to see him around the hotel… The flash of excitement in his blue eyes made her stomach leap and twist uncomfortably.

"Can we speak?" She asked him, glancing uncomfortably at the other woman. The dislike Aphra felt for Padme was obvious and simmering as if her very existence offended her.

"I'm Anakin's number two, y'know." The other woman smirked. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me."

Padme held her gaze for a long moment and considered it. It was hardly a private matter. All she wanted to know was how long he planned to keep her locked away inside. But a small, petty side of her she hadn't known existed until she'd met this woman roared to life. She just _couldn't _stand the smugness! _Fine then… She'd talk_.

"Okay… Anakin, I just wanted to ask if you could come to bed early tonight? I thought we could make a special night of it..." She finished with what she hoped was a sensual smile.

Not waiting around to see the expression on Aphra's face, Padme turned on her heel and stormed out toward the hallway. Vaguely, she heard Rex and Kit "_oohhh…" _behind her in a way that distantly reminded her of the reactions her little nieces had once had when the other was caught doing something wrong. Despite her irritation, it made her smile for a moment as those innocent little faces flashed before her mind.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind her, making Padme pause by the useless elevators. "Naberrie, wait up!" Anakin rounded the corner wearing a proud smirk. "Well, I don't know a man alive who could resist an offer like that…" He had the audacity to wink at her and she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"You _know_ I wasn't serious, Anakin. I just wanted…"

"What?" He murmured, stepping into Padme's personal space. For once she didn't move back. "What did you want?"

Tipping her head back just enough to meet his keen gaze, she pursed her lips together. "I… I wanted to make Aphra shut up," she admitted quietly. In hindsight, she'd behaved childishly but there was something about the _smugness _of the other woman that set off Padme's more unfortunate tendencies. "I still can't believe you want _her _as your second in command. Rex and Kit exist, you know."

Anakin chuckled and trapped one of Padme's loose curls between two fingers, twisting it around them gently. It was rare she let her hair down these days… She didn't need it getting caught in a pair of bloody claws. "Aphra's a good fighter and a better strategist. She's smart too… _Not _smart enough to see an obvious lie, mind you," he laughed again. "I think you two are a lot alike."

"That's not true." She shook her head. Padme would never be so cold and unwelcoming to someone the way Aphra had been to her. It wasn't in her nature to be cruel. "She's horrible."

"Mm." He hummed, "she's territorial, I'll give you that."

"Territorial?" Padme raised an eyebrow. It had been obvious from their first meeting that the former archaeologist had feelings for the Imperial leader but she hadn't seen anything to suggest it was mutual. Her stomach clenched. _Had she missed something all this time? No… If she had, wouldn't it be Aphra in his suite and not her? _"Is this your way of telling me you're with her?"

Anakin laughed again and released Padme's hair. "No, I'm not with her. Never have been. Does that make you feel better?"

_Smug bastard. _"It doesn't make me feel anything at all." She said.

He smiled again but it felt more genuine this time. "Okay," he said and brushed his lips against Padme's cheek, surprising her. He hadn't touched her since she'd first arrived at the Empire and that had been _months _ago! What was he playing at? He didn't let her question things further, pulling back as if it had never happened. "So, what did you really want to talk to me about?"

She was thrown, mind still reeling and cheek still tingling from the contact. Keeping up with him was the most difficult game of chess Padme had ever played. "Right, yes." She straightened herself up. "I need to know, are you planning on keeping me locked away inside the hotel forever?"

At that, he laughed yet again. "That was the general idea of bringing you here, Naberrie."

"Well, I'm tired of it in here. I'm _sick _of the sight of the place."

"It's dangerous out there, you could get killed." His eyes darkened as if a shadow passed over his mind at the thought. It was chilling.

"I can handle myself out there, Anakin." She said. "I lived on my own before joining the Rebels, remember? I'm not exactly hopeless."

He made a non-committal noise and narrowed his eyes. "You really want to go out there again?"

"I do." She nodded, "I… I miss it. I know some people are happy just being safe indoors but I'm not one of them. I don't think I ever could be."

She'd swallowed the taste of action and fear in the air too many times for that.

"Fine." He said finally. "Let's go outside."

_What? _

"Right _now?" _Padme spluttered. She hadn't expected him to be so agreeable! She'd been preparing for a fight – for shouting and slamming and one of them storming away from the other in a fury… Not this. This was, well, it was _easy_. When had Anakin Skywalker become _easy _to deal with?

"Unless you've changed your mind already?" Anakin drawled, but he was already making his way toward the main armoury room. Padme's stomach flipped. Something close to regret panged in her chest. Maybe this _wasn't _such a good idea after all…?

No. Padme wanted this. She'd _been _wanting this for weeks. There was no backing out now without giving up the right to ever ask him for the chance again.

Hiding her surprise, she caught up to him as he entered what she suspected had once been an office and let the door close behind her. The room was close to the main exit of the building, easy to access if one was ever in dire need for a weapon. And it was _certainly _full of them. Guns, knives, swords, axes, every kind of dangerous object Padme could conjure laid piled up across every surface. The Rebels didn't even have _half _the number of weapons throughout the entire building.

Anakin handed Padme two black guns to strap into the sturdy, brown, leather holsters buckled around her legs and a long, dangerously sharp blade which she tucked beneath the strap looping around her waist. It felt _right _to be armed again and she realised distantly that she'd missed it. _If only the girl she used to be could see her now…_

He was armed to the teeth, as usual. Every pocket secured a gun or blade, every strap of his holster held something that promised death to any attacker. He reminded Padme of a warrior, vicious and lethal until their eyes met and he smiled… Then he was Anakin again. _Human_. Real. Like the young boy she used to know in school all those years ago.

When the Empire's doors opened and the cool air hit her skin, Padme realised _just _how stagnant she'd felt until now. This, being outside, free without walls, this was _freedom. _How had she gone so long without it? Her heart raced inside her chest and her skin prickled at every slight sound in the street, but she'd rather stand here in the cold for hours rather than go back into the stale air inside.

It was chilly but not too cold to be outside. They'd both grabbed their coats before leaving and she revelled in the feel of the fresh air around her. The sky was grey but the day was light and the winter sun snuck through the gaps as well as it could. It was nice to see the city from the ground up again, the way she always had before the Empire. Lines and lines of abandoned yellow cabs decorated the streets and they weaved through, walking past ransacked stores and looted banks without blinking. It had taken quite a while for people to realise money was worthless in the new world. You couldn't buy your life from creatures who wanted to tear you limb from limb.

Anakin and Padme walked until the cars and stores faded away into apartment blocks and what had once been a children's playpark. Nature was working fast to take it back. Overgrown plants and grass had begun to climb the jungle gym and benches while ivy wound its way up the legs of the swing set. There was something oddly beautiful about it… Part of her wished they could stop and look a little longer, but lingering would be dangerous.

It didn't take much longer before they ran into two beasts at once. A scaly orange thing with two heads and teeth long enough to tear right through an arm or leg, the other one was black as night, hissing and clicking in warning. They weren't difficult to take care of. Padme aimed a single shot through the orange one's neck while Anakin cut the black beast's head off in one powerful swing. It fell to the sidewalk in a bloody _splat_ and rolled a few meters away.

He grinned but Padme couldn't tear her eyes away from the bodies, panting and exhilarated by the kill. Was it adrenaline? Or was there something deeply wrong with her now? She'd wondered that for a long time but the answer didn't seem worth the effort to find in moments like these.

When their eyes met, she matched his smile without a thought.

* * *

After that day, Anakin and Padme ventured outside together almost daily. They were never out for long, always less than an hour or two but it was enough to make her blood sizzle with the thrill. Whenever she took down one of the monsters, he smiled, pride shining in his wild eyes. If one of the beasts dared to come too close to her, Anakin tore it to pieces.

Even after all this time, he was still an enigma to Padme. Every time she thought she was beginning to understand, something would shift and the pieces scattered to look like something else entirely. She didn't understand why he protected her so fiercely, why he wanted her with him in the Empire or how he could switch so easily to playful and almost boyish to something so brutal and savage. The two sides of this man didn't fit. It shouldn't work but here Anakin Skywalker existed anyway, forever a rulebreaker.

One day, two weeks after their first walk outside, they found themselves in what had once been a mechanics garage near the edge of the Imperial's turf. Anakin had been particularly excited at the prospect of raiding the place and finding old pieces of technology when a group of several green, four-eyed beasts burst through the open doorway, snorting furiously. They moaned and wailed to one another, panting and flashing their knife-teeth in anticipation of sinking them into their flesh.

They were fast, charging so suddenly that Padme was almost too panicked to react. The sound of Anakin's bullets firing pulled her back and she unholstered both Glocks and let loose without thinking any more about it. The beasts grunted and howled in agony as bullets flew into their skin without mercy, spilling purple blood onto the concrete floor. She shot until both guns were out of bullets. Most of the monsters were already dead by then but a few had been clever enough to hide until the bullets stopped flying. They roared furiously but Anakin only laughed, as if this fight to the death was just a game they were playing.

She tugged on the hilt of the blade he'd given her, unsheathing it with a _hiss _and braced herself. If she had a choice, Padme would always choose a gun as her weapon but that didn't mean she was unprepared.

Two creatures lunged for Anakin at once but he evaded in a quick side-step that sent a table crashing against the wall as his hip collided with it. One more beast snuck up behind him, evading his keen eye and peeled back its vile lips, ready to bite.

_It was going to kill him! _

Padme acted without thinking, running across the room and leaping onto the monster behind him. Its scales were sharp at the edges and sliced her palms open in multiple little cuts but the blasts of pain were _nothing _compared to the overwhelming _need _to make sure the beast died. She stabbed its throat again and again, ignoring its shrieks and the warm gush of blood coating her hands and clothes, attacking it over and over until it finally stilled. It was the most brutal she'd ever been for a kill and Padme's hands shook when she stood up again.

For a moment, she didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. She'd never _thrown _herself at one of them like that before! It had been incredibly stupid and reckless, and she hadn't felt this _alive _in all her life! Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt full of nervous energy. She wanted to move but didn't know what to do with herself. Her eyes travelled over the beast's corpse before flicking up to meet Anakin's eyes. He'd killed the other two already and she'd caught him watching her. His eyes were dark and something intensely _hungry _flashed in their depths.

He took a step toward her, sliding his knife back into his belt without bothering to wipe away the blood and Padme felt like her whole body was vibrating. After a second, Anakin opened his mouth, but she didn't let him speak. Two quick steps and her bloody hands took hold of the dark, frayed collar of his coat, tugged him down and kissed him.

She'd evidently surprised him – which was no easy feat – because it took him a few seconds to respond. But then all of a sudden, his large, calloused hands, just as bloody as hers, moved to cup Padme's face and waist tightly. She may have been the one to make the first move between them but Anakin's reaction was strong and eager. He deepened the kiss right away, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and Padme welcomed him, fisting her hand in his hair, urging him _closer_.

She didn't think. Just _felt._

Anakin growled against her lips and walked Padme backwards until her back hit a wall roughly. His body pressed against her – this was fast, faster than she was prepared for – but she was caught up. Intoxicated by him utterly and it was thrilling to just _let go_. His hands slid from her waist to cup her backside and she moaned helplessly, arching into him as best she could. She wanted to be closer, didn't care about anything in the world other than that feeling as his lips began to work their way down her neck –

A low, feral growl came from outside and Anakin tore himself away instantly, turning his head so quickly she wondered how his neck didn't crack, immediately on alert. Padme tried to catch her breath but it felt impossible. A moment later two small yellow creatures wandered inside the garage.

They killed them easily but there were more coming and the afternoon was slipping into evening. It wasn't safe to be out just the two of them anymore. Anakin grabbed Padme's hand and together they ran back to the warmth and safety of the Empire.

* * *

Once they were safely inside and the rush of adrenaline began to fade, shame crashed through Padme heavily. _What the hell had she been thinking? _She kissed him! Her mind reeled as she washed the blood from her shaking hands, replaying the kiss over and over in her head. It had been so heated and intense… It was wrong. She shouldn't have done it, but it had felt so good... If those creatures hadn't interrupted them, how far would it have gone?

She hadn't wanted to stop and even now, just thinking about the feeling of Anakin's lips on her neck made heat bloom between her legs. Frowning into the cracked, dirty mirror on the wall, Padme looked herself in the eye for a long moment. She had to be honest with herself. Was that… Was a moment like that something she actually wanted? Did she want it with _him_? With Anakin? She clenched her thighs together as an ache began to form between them.

Maybe she did want it? Would that be so terribly wrong?

Part of her _screamed _that it was while another whispered promises of pleasure and release.

It was all so complicated and her mind was spinning.

Where did she go from here?

**_Please review!_**


	7. Chapter 7

That night, there was a gathering held in what had once been glamorous hotel lobby. Partying was something the Imperials seemed to enjoy, Padme had found. They celebrated for the sake of celebrating, for the sake of _living well_ for however long life lasted. Whoever Anakin had sent on the daily supply run had procured bottles and bottles of booze from somewhere a little outside of the city. Food in the inner city was beginning to grow scarce with so many survivors nestled so closely together, and sometimes, when she let herself think about it, Padme worried about what might happen when they ran out of stores to pillage.

But tonight wasn't a night for worrying, no, it was to be a night of _fun. _She pushed all such thoughts out of her mind and watched the Imperials enjoy themselves. Wines, vodkas and whiskeys had been spread out on the reception desk and Aphra lingered behind it, playing the bartender with absolute glee. She laughed while serving people, throwing her head back without care, living in the moment freely and easily. It was strange to see the usually sullen and glaring woman so cheerful for once.

As she watched the other woman, Padme noticed how Aphra's worn, brown leather jacket had been cropped at the shoulders so that she could make out the long, stark black lines of a strange pattern tattooed on her right arm. She hadn't known many people with tattoos in the old world, granted, but she'd never seen anything like it before.

Spotting an opportunity as Kit walked away from Aphra's makeshift bar, Padme steeled herself and approached. Since her arrival, the archaeologist had done nothing but scowl and ignore her for reasons she'd never bothered to find out but she was tired of the one-sided animosity. Maybe after being the only woman amongst such a large group of men for so long, Aphra felt protective or threatened by her presence? Whatever it was, now was her chance to speak with the raven-haired woman. Maybe they could even become friends? It would be nice to have another woman to talk to around here.

Aphra didn't look up as she approached, too busy fidgeting with half-empty bottles and a seemingly endless pile of red, plastic cups. "What can I get you? We have vodka, wine, brandy, whisky and if you ask _really _nice, I'll pour you a good shot and a nice chaser." Then, the woman's brown eyes flicked up to see Padme and the easy smile died on her lips. "_Oh_. Hi. You drinking?"

"Everyone else seems to be, so I thought I'd join in," she tried to smile but Aphra remained stony-faced. "What kinds of wine do you have?" If she was going to get through this, Padme definitely needed a drink. A long time ago, in the old world, a glass of wine or two after a long day had been her _ritual_ but those days were gone. To drink was to let one's inhibitions go, after all, and these past few years, she'd needed to keep her wits about her. But safe inside The Empire, she felt safe to indulge again just this once.

"We've got a couple of bottles of red or white, probably nothing compared to what you used to have," the other woman muttered and picked up the two bottles to place them on the desk.

_Be nice, _Padme reminded herself, _you're here to make friends. _

"In The Coruscant?" She forced herself to laugh despite how it made her heart ache to talk about her first home in the new world. Padme still missed it terribly. "Oh no. I loved it there but it's a very no-frills kind of life. You Imperials live it up far more than we do."

"You're an Imperial now too," Aphra rolled her eyes, "You'd be smart to remember that."

Truthfully, despite living amongst them for months, she hadn't ever viewed herself as an actual Imperial… Padme had never taken the time to reflect upon what living here meant for her identity. She'd spent so long living as a Rebel, she had friends there who she'd give anything to see again but Aphra was right, she _was_ in The Empire now. And, if she was honest, the quality of life she'd found here _was _nice. She liked the people she'd met, Rex and Kit especially and Anakin…

She remembered how his lips felt on hers a few hours ago as vividly as though he were here kissing her now.

Padme didn't know _how _to categorise their… Relationship.

"I suppose you're right…" She nodded, "anyway, I'll have white."

"Right." Aphra nodded and started unscrewing the cork of a pinot grigio brand she didn't recognize, though then again, she wasn't sure she _would _recognise what she used to drink, it'd been years since she'd seen it, after all. The two women were quiet as the former archaeologist poured a generous serving into the plastic cup and Padme searched her brain for _anything _they might have in common to fill the quiet until her eyes landed on the woman's intricate tattoo again.

"That's an interesting tattoo," she smiled as Aphra pushed the cup toward her, "I've never seen anything like it."

"Thanks." She nodded, "got it when after my first dig."

"What is it, if you don't mind my asking?" Padme sipped at her wine and let her eyes admire the perfectly straight lines, following the strange pattern where it connected and parted in an almost maze-like structure. It disappeared beneath the capped shoulder of her jacket and curiously, she wondered if her whole arm had been inked?

"Map lines of the dig. Found some cool stuff I want to remember."

This was the most Aphra had talked to her ever and it that alone made Padme smile. The thought of another female friendship like she'd had with Dorme and Sabe back in The Coruscant was wonderful. It would be nice to have someone to confide in, especially after her kiss with Anakin… She'd like to hear what someone else thought! Was she _crazy? _Should she avoid him? Would it be absolutely _insane _to do it again?

Taking a large – _too large probably – _gulp of her wine, Padme allowed herself to feel emboldened by Aphra's receptiveness thus far and lingered by the makeshift bar. "Aren't you joining in tonight?"

The raven-haired woman blinked twice, "… I'm here, aren't I?"

"No," she laughed, "I mean, aren't you going to come join everyone and have a drink?"

"Later." Aphra poured Dooku a cup filled with whisky as he approached the bar. The mysterious older man tipped his head respectfully upon picking it up before wandering off as quickly as he'd come. He was a quiet man, Padme had noticed, kept to himself in the shadowed corners of the hotel. Even in the old world some people just weren't sociable and in the new one, well, the survivors had seen too much. Once he was gone, the other woman's gaze returned to Padme, "Anakin asked me to mind the booze supplies. We don't need to be drank dry in one night."

Ah. Now _that _made sense. Aphra was Anakin's second in command, the person he seemed to trust the most with that _thing _he kept downstairs. The woman hung on his every word and look, she'd noticed it before in that convenience store with Bail, but there was no need to point out the woman's feelings, Padme decided, especially if she wanted to start a friendship. "It must be nice being his second in command. He clearly trusts you a lot."

"I don't know," Aphra's gaze was cold as she regarded Padme with narrowed eyes, "he's made it pretty clear that I'm replaceable."

The implication hung heavily between the two women and she stole another gulp of her wine.

"I don't think that's true." Padme said at last, "from what I've seen – "

"_Look, _Princess," Aphra rolled her eyes, "let's just be clear about something. He might have his fun with you for a while – you're new and giving him a chase, I'm sure that's exciting for men but eventually, he'll get tired and you'll be out on the streets running back to your scummy Rebel friends."

Taken aback, Padme's mind reeled. _Where _had that come from? "_Excuse me, _what exactly is your problem with me? I haven't done anything to you."

At that, Aphra rolled her eyes and unscrewed the top of the whisky she'd just served Dooku, taking a generous swig from the bottle. "You're taking what's rightfully _mine, _Princess. I just want you to understand that sooner or later, he'll come to his senses and throw you the hell out of here."

This was _ridiculous. _Padme wasn't going to just sit here and argue over a _man_ of all things! Especially one her feelings were so torn on. It was the _least _of her worries these days and the same should have been true for Aphra too. "You're in love with him," she said calmly, "that's obvious, but I – "

She scoffed and shook her head, anger swirling in her dark eyes, "you think you're so smart, don't you?"

Just as Padme opened her mouth, another voice rang out and pulled both women's attention to the left, "Aphra, put away the claws!" A jovial, rumbling laugh followed the thick, New Zealand accent as Rex approached the bar. It was nice to see an actual friendly face right now, she thought with a growing smile despite her upset with the other woman. "Thought you were above that kind of bitching?"

"I wasn't bitching," she sneered, "I was just – "

"Being a bitch," Rex leant his tanned forearm on the desk, "now lay off. This is supposed to be a fun night, we don't need that attitude of yours ruining things."

"I was only telling the _truth_, Rex!" Aphra spat, "_she – _"

The usual warmth which radiated out of the New Zealander vanished as his face hardened dangerously, looking at the archaeologist the way he eyed up a creature he intended to slaughter. "I suggest you close that mouth of yours unless you want the boss to hear about all this."

Downstairs, a howling shriek resounded through the lobby from Anakin's pet beast. No one around paid the sound any mind and Padme wondered if they were all just _used _to the idea of living above one of them. She could never be so settled knowing it was down there… Even now, it's scream brought cold shivers of fear creeping through her body. Aphra tore her eyes from Rex's harsh glare and glanced toward the revolving door which led to the creature's basement. "I… I should go check on it."

"That's a good idea, lass," he nodded.

The archaeologist shot both Padme and Rex a glare as she slipped out from behind the reception desk and made her way to the revolving door. Only when she vanished behind it did the tension leave her body. _Well, so much for being friends… _Despite how cruel Aphra had been, she truly mourned the lost opportunity. It made her miss her Rebel friends even more.

"I'm sorry about her," Rex said with a sigh, running his hand through his cropped black hair, "she isn't always so unfriendly."

Padme found that difficult to believe. "She hates me."

"Nobody is liked by everyone," he shrugged, leaning over the bar to snatch an unopened bottle of vodka and the bottle of wine Aphra poured her drink from, "this what you're drinking?"

"Yes, why?"

Suddenly all the warmth returned to Rex's face as he smiled cheekily, "because we're going to play a game and _you're _comin' to join in. About time you integrated, I think." He tipped his head in invitation and after the utter _disaster _that was her attempt at making friends with Aphra, she was happy to follow. If nothing else, the other woman had been right about one thing, if she was going to keep living here then it was time Padme became a real Imperial.

Rex led her through the lobby to a stylish black booth and a built-in red-topped table where Kit and Anakin sat, laughing at something she couldn't hear above the murmur of conversation in the room. The moment she saw him her stomach flipped. She'd been avoiding him since they got back from their walk and, surprisingly, he'd let her. He'd obviously showered and changed his clothes, now wearing a long-sleeved black sweater and dark blue jeans. _He looked good, _she admitted to herself, _black was his colour. _

When Padme and Rex reached the booth, he carefully deposited the alcohol onto the table and she dropped the small pile of plastic cups she'd grabbed. Anakin's gaze lifted to her slowly, trailing his way along the black jeans and white t-shirt she'd thrown on after showering and when his eyes finally found hers, his gaze was _searing. _

"Joining the game, Naberrie?" He asked with a curious quirk of his eyebrow. Kit seemed surprised too which Padme reluctantly understood. She joined in the duties of housekeeping around the hotel but she'd mostly kept to herself since moving into The Empire. Well, that was all behind her now. She wanted to assimilate – to _live, _as Anakin had put it once. She was here to stay so it was long past time that she enjoyed herself like everyone else.

"What're we playing?" She asked, sliding into the booth beside Kit which seemed to disappoint Anakin for a moment before he controlled his expression into his usual smug smile. Reaching for a new plastic cup, Padme unscrewed the wine and poured a slightly smaller helping than Aphra had earlier. She wanted to have fun not get wasted, after all.

"A good ol' round of 'Never Have I Ever'!" Rex threw himself into the booth beside Anakin and reached for the vodka. "Nothing gets the buzz going like downing a drink with a laugh or two."

Anakin sniggered and shook his head, "it was Kit's idea."

"Hey! _You _brought up the last time we played it… It inspired me." Kit shrugged his loose dreadlocks over his shoulder and grinned, "I want to see if we can make Rex throw up again."

Padme winced at the mental image of the burly New Zealander in that condition, she hadn't seen someone consume too much alcohol since she first started college and it hadn't been a pretty sight. "You thew up?" She couldn't help a small bubble of laughter slipping past her lips and quickly hid it beneath a sip of her wine.

"That'll happen when these two assholes only asked targeted questions." Rex laughed easily, "but it's you guys' turn now!"

"_Or," _a sly smile spread across Kit's happy face as he slowly pointed toward her, "we can gang up on Padme here and see how _she _handles her drink! It can be your official Imperial initiation!"

Anakin laughed and leant forward, tipping his head, "now _that_, I'd be interested in."

She glared at him which only brightened his smile, "oh, no, no! I'll play along but you'll all be disappointed. I'm actually very boring…"

Rex busied himself pouring his, Anakin's and Kit's red plastic cups almost to the brim with vodka. The sight alone was enough to make her head swim a little. _That wasn't going to end well… _

She looked up and caught Anakin's heated gaze as it flicked between her eyes and lips. Suddenly, Padme could feel the ghost touch of his hands on her body and the sensation of his kiss on her lips... On her neck… She flushed, feeling colour bloom in her cheeks and cursed herself, dragging her eyes downward to the table instead. _Get a grip, Padme! _She thought with a mental glare at herself. One kiss and she was acting like a complete idiot!

"Believe me," Anakin's voice brought the former Rebel's unwilling eyes back to the Imperial leader, "you're anything but boring, Naberrie." He winked, that know-all smug smirk of his still plastered to his face. _The audacity, _she rolled her eyes at him and dropped her gaze down to her drink.

"Alright, as usual, the rules are simple. We'll all take a turn saying something, if you've done it, drink. Okay? I'll get this started," Rex picked up his drink, sloshing some of the vodka over the cup's rim, onto his knuckles and the tabletop. "Never have I ever… Shoplifted?"

"Are you kidding?" Anakin barked a laugh, "every supply run is technically shoplifting."

"_Exactly,_" Rex sniggered, "so drink."

If he aimed to get everyone drunk, Padme applauded his strategy as she brought her wine to her lips and took a sip. In her old life, if she had thought of herself doing something like shoplifting, she probably would have thrown back her head and laughed until she cried! Her? Never. How times could change...

"Seriously, Rex," Kit shook his head, "where are your manners? It should have been ladies first." He gestured toward Padme as she brought her cup back down to the table. "Please don't judge all us Imperials on the manners of this big idiot. You can go ahead of me."

All three men's eyes fell on her and her mind raced to come up with something quickly, it'd been years since she played this game and she was rusty! What could she ask that they might all have in common? Never have I ever killed a monster? No, that was stupid. This was taking too long… Uh… Oh! "Never have I ever been arrested?"

It was a stupid suggestion, surely no one here had ever been stupid enough to –

Anakin and Kit brought their drinks to their lips and Padme's eyebrows shot to her hairline

"You two were _arrested?" _She gawked at Kit and Anakin who shared a secretive snigger. "What did you do?"

"Bachelor party." Kit's bright green eyes lit up with obvious nostalgia for the simpler life before the end of the world and it made her smile sadly, while people had survived, they'd all lost so much… "I was blackout wasted… Or so they tell me…" He laughed and shook his head, "don't ask me how it happened, I don't remember. All I know is there was a dare and I was picked up by the cops for running down the street naked and singing the National Anthem at the top of my lungs."

"Oh my god!" Padme slapped her palm over her mouth, "you're _kidding?!" _

"I wish," Kit sagged in his seat with a groan, "I was almost thrown out of med school for it… Fun memory though."

"What about you?" She turned her eyes to Anakin and raised an eyebrow, "what'd you do?"

Somehow, Padme couldn't picture the Imperial leader running down the streets of New York without his clothes on. Manipulating someone _else _into doing it? Absolutely.

"My story isn't as fun as Kit's," he winced and looked down at his drink. There was no smugness or laughter on his face now, he looked almost… _Sad_. Anakin had been a troublemaker when they were in school, a real _bully _sometimes but even as she searched her memories of him, there was no behaviour bad enough that she could see police getting involved. So what had happened? Curiosity burned within Padme but the more rational side of her saw the obvious pain on his face, whatever he'd done still troubled him.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," on instinct, she reached across the table and settled her palm over his, just for a moment but it was enough to jerk his eyes up to hers, surprise flashing deep in his blue hues.

"Yeah, mate," Rex nodded when Padme retracted her hand, "we'll move on. Kit? You got a question?"

"Oh? Uh, yeah!" The former medical student jolted, "okay – never have I ever… Had a one night stand?"

Well, she wasn't expecting to get into those sorts of questions so quickly but the lingering tension of Anakin's confession was swept away with one howl of excitement from Rex. "Oh come on, mate!" He laughed loudly and took a long swig of vodka, "who the hell has never had a one night stand?"

Neither Anakin or Padme drank but thankfully, neither Kit or Rex seemed to notice. Blue eyes met brown across the table but she quickly looked across the lobby to see everyone else enjoying themselves instead. _Not_ that she had ever taken the time to think about his sex life but that surprised her… He was certainly charming when he wanted to be and even she could admit he was very handsome… Maybe she'd just assumed there'd been at least one encounter between Anakin and Aphra… Then again, the question was about one-night stands, maybe there was something more between them?

Maybe _that _was why Aphra hated her so much?

"Alright, alright," Anakin drummed his fingers on the table, "my turn… Never have I ever… Had a bathroom _accident… In public..." _Mirth brought a knowing light to his eyes as humiliation swelled up inside Padme's chest… _No, no, no! How did he even remember __**that**__? Oh god… _ She hadn't expected him to target her like that!

"I hate you," she muttered and brought her cup to her lips unwillingly. Oh, she could kill him for this! Anakin seemed unfazed by the loathing in Padme's eyes as Rex and Kit spluttered laughter into their drinks.

"_You _pissed yourself?" the New Zealander chortled, "and here I thought you used to be someone fancy!"

"Hey!" She rolled her eyes, "I was like ten years old!" Admittedly, still far too old to have accidents in school but it wasn't even really_ her_ fault! "_You," _Padme pointed across the table and into Anakin's face, "it was your fault! You were the one who spread that story about the scary nun hiding in the school bathrooms!"

Kit glanced between them, a furrow between his brows, "you two knew each other…Before…?"

"We went to school together," Anakin leant back against the worn leather backing of the booth, "she was terrified of me."

"_Please,_" she rolled her eyes and drained the remainder of the wine, relishing the slight burn in her throat. Had she been scared of Anakin all those years ago? Well, yes, maybe she had been. He had been a troublemaker, loud, brash and often absolutely cruel. Padme certainly hadn't liked the bully boy, but then, there probably weren't many people who had… She'd been frightened of catching his attention more than necessary lest he set his troublesome sights onto antagonising her.

Truthfully, however, Padme's real fear of Anakin had come much later

, after her world ended. As a Rebel, she'd been afraid of what he'd do to her friends with his Imperial gang, terrified that he'd set his pet loose and laugh while it devoured everyone inside The Coruscant, staining the old wooden floor and carpets with their blood. And he _was _capable of it, Padme had seen it in his eyes the day Anakin brought her to The Empire, the desire, the _lust _for power… It consumed him more than the will to survive or to find peace. People were ruined in the birth of this world, she'd seen it herself, but not Anakin. His soul was born blackened and tarred, he was a creature of chaos long before the world died.

Did she still fear him? Padme lifted her heavy gaze from the table to watch as Rex laughed at something Anakin said and the world around her seemed to flicker slightly… They could have been friends catching up in a bar downtown, watching football and cracking jokes. Here inside the crumbling walls of his Empire, Anakin was light and peaceful, she saw nothing of the cutthroat and malevolent Imperial he portrayed outside. He was just a man… Just Anakin enjoying another day of survival while the calm lasted.

How could Padme be afraid of that?

The game went on for several laughter inducing rounds until somehow, Anakin, Kit and Rex managed to drain two large cups of vodka, the latter two becoming slightly worse for wear as the questions went on. Eventually, Padme made an excuse and escaped the booth despite slurred protests and hearty laughter. She'd had enough Imperial celebration for one night.

The climb to the Presidential suite was still as daunting as the first time she had made the climb with Anakin, and Padme's legs burned uncomfortably by the time she reached the doorway. She'd hoped _that _particular aspect of living in The Empire would have eased slightly by now, it wasn't a great feeling to be slightly winded every time you entered your room, after all.

It was late, midnight had long since passed over the New York skyline leaving the once iconic buildings cast in deep darkness for as far as Padme could see as she yawned and kicked off her boots before heading to the bedroom area of the suite. Part of her wished she was the kind of person who could stay downstairs with the others and celebrate until dawn but the truth was, even in the old world, she was a homebody. She enjoyed going out but she also enjoyed her peace and with the growing state she'd left Rex and Kit in down there, something told here there wouldn't be much peace tonight.

Fighting another yawn, she shimmied out of her jeans and laid them across the foot of the bed as thunderous footsteps burst into the room. At once, her fingers twitched for her guns – there was one in the bedside drawer beside her – or the knife she'd hidden beneath her pillow. Padme's entire body coiled tightly, stiff, tense and ready to attack should the need arise when, a moment later, Anakin stormed through the open doorway.

"Jesus!" She cried with a breathless laugh, the tension dissipating at once, "you scared me. What're you doing up here? I thought you'd be downstairs until – "

"I haven't stopped…" He shook his head and drew closer, gaze burning into hers, "_All _day I've been…" As the self-appointed leader of the Imperials stuttered and fumbled over his words, Padme glanced down at her pants and cringed. He couldn't have stalked into the room when she was fully dressed? Standing in front of the man who'd threatened her friends to get her here, her former bully, the Imperial who terrorised Rebels and weaponised a beast in a t-shirt and her underwear was an experience – in either world – she never thought she'd have. "Look, I – fuck it."

Anakin crossed the small space and his lips fell on hers without a moment of hesitation, as if he'd been burning to do this again since that moment in the garage earlier. Padme stiffened again, heart racing, and felt her mind spin… The earlier kiss had been mutual and encouraged by the fire of adrenaline after killing a small horde of beasts, it hadn't been something romantic or – or _anything _at all really… Had it?

Whatever it had been before, this was… _Nice. _His touch, his hands on her hips scorched her skin though something deep inside her yelled, protested and recoiled with screams of, _wrong, wrong, wrong! This was wrong! _She didn't want to listen. Maybe it was the wine or maybe _this _moment was her true initiation into the Imperials but Padme didn't want to think tonight… She wanted to feel, to experience his fire and feel _consumed._

Life was for the living and she wanted to feel alive.

They fell onto the bed as her fingers threaded through Anakin's golden curls, pausing to tug harshly when he bit her lower lip and she delighted in his responding grunt. He parted their swollen lips and left them both panting to look down at her and a cold shiver trickled along Padme's spine. She had never quite seen _that _particular look in his eye before, the gleam of his azure gaze was always dark, intense and dangerous… But tonight he was tender and utterly possessive. It frightened her, truthfully, but she wanted this. For once in her life, she was willingly leaping into the unknown.

Slowly, he began kissing her throat but despite the tenderness in his gaze a moment ago there was nothing soft in Anakin's kisses, his passion burned brightly and something within her worried she'd be forever marked by it, altered, _claimed…_

Her fingers wandered up and down his broad back, feeling the ripple of his muscles beneath his flesh as he moved. He was so warm. Fire incarnate. Born for chaos. The only man alive who thrived in the new world. It was kill or be killed and Anakin was happy to pull the trigger. Padme grasped his shirt and tugged it up and over his head, dropping it on the carpeted floor to be forgotten.

His teeth grazed a sensitive spot somewhere between her neck and throat, sending a violent shudder across her flesh and a sudden pool of heat between her legs. It was tingly and unfamiliar and she needed to keep feeling that way. _"Anakin,_" Padme breathed out his name in breathless encouragement and felt his body tense in her arms at the sound. Blinking her eyes open, his breath was warm on her mouth, his face hovering close to hers and on instinct, she tried to lean up and catch his lips but he was too heavy for her to move.

"Say it again," he murmured lowly, voice huskier than usual, his expression unreadable.

"Say what?" She shook her head, lost. Sliding her hand around his shoulder and neck, she brushed his hanging hair out of his face as tenderly as she could muster in the heat of the moment. "What are you talking about?"

"_My name,_" Anakin practically growled, eyes black with want as he snatched her wrist and pinned it to the bed, "say it…"

Since her arrival at The Empire, it had been easy to forget just how terrifying Anakin Skywalker could be, he'd shown her a different side to himself, a casual, relaxed, and at times even _sweet_ side, but tonight was not one of those times. He was fierce and demanding, his touch was rough and volatile and though it didn't _quite _hurt, there was something beyond passion hidden beneath which revealed itself in the way he spoke, the way he looked at her…

Padme wasn't sure if he was going to kiss her or kill her.

"Anakin…" She whispered, mouth dry, "Anakin…"

Suddenly, his mouth was on hers somehow more intensely than before, their tongues mingling as his hand moved over her chest, her stomach and down, down to brush between her legs over the thin, soft cotton of her panties and Padme's eyes snapped open, breath catching in her throat. She'd had boyfriends before, dates and crushes but their kissing had never been anything like this. She was still in college when the world changed – relationships hadn't been a priority then, it'd been all about achieving her degrees and earning prestigious internships for the experience. There were only so many hours in the day, after all… She had always put serious dating on the backburner, for after graduation.

"Say it again," Anakin demanded in a whisper and then bit the little mole where her neck met her shoulder. "Don't stop saying it." His wandering fingers brushed against her swollen, needy clit and she closed her eyes again, voice dying in her throat as he deliberately rubbed a small, careful circle against the sensitive bundle of nerves.

He did it again and Padme arched he hips up to meet his touch, whining his name. "_Anakin…_"

What small measure of control Anakin wielded, he lost, and he grasped at the thin – damp – material of her panties, giving a sharp tug and tearing them off her body, ripping the seams with an audible shredding sound. She had no time to think about it or about being the most naked she'd ever been with a man because his mouth was everywhere, on her lips, her ear, her neck, her throat and his breath was hot and heavy against her skin as something strained firmly against her thigh – _h_e was hard, she realised with a blush.

Anakin pushed two fingers inside Padme as far as he could and circled her clit with his thumb, making her gasp and undulate beneath his touch, gasping and moaning while adjusting to the sensation. He pulled his fingers out slightly and carefully pushed them back into place again and again and again, building a slow and steady rhythm which left her gasping for more between breaths. It felt _amazing_… So, so good… She grasped his hair again, tugging the soft strands in her fingers for leverage and guided his head back up to take his lips.

If _this _was how it could be then why wasn't _everyone _doing this? _Maybe they were and she just hadn't noticed… _

Pulling her face back, Padme kept her forehead pressed against Anakin's and drank in his blue eyes, angular nose and plush lips… He really had grown up into a handsome man, hadn't he? There were almost no traces of the lanky teenaged boy she'd once known, no, he was a man now… Had she changed that much across the years? She didn't particularly think so.

Suddenly, Padme threw back her head as the pleasure grew and the walls of her sex tightened impossibly around his thrusting fingers. It became incredible and it was all she could do to remember to _breathe _through it. Anakin's thumb rubbed her clit faster, harder, amplifying everything she felt tenfold. She fisted his hair tighter as he quickened the pace of his fingers inside of her, increasing the pressure and slowly, every inch of her body began to tense.

"An-_ oh!_" She gasped, "_ah! Ohmygod…"_

With one final, hard push of Anakin's fingers, Padme's entire body stiffened and the pleasure crested. She held her breath as the waves of pleasure crashed through her body emanating from her sex. Her head swam, able to focus only on the sharp peak of absolute bliss he sent through her, the inner muscles of her core clamping desperately around his fingers.

Her body shook and trembled and then, a moment later, the sharp edge began to fade taking every ounce of tension and feeling with it, leaving Padme loose, pliant and sleepy.

_Wow…_

That had… Happened…

Padme's mind reeled in the aftermath of pleasure and found herself caught somewhere between lust and shame. Without the distraction of pleasure, bring naked save for her t-shirt beneath a man she once hated made vulnerability creep into her consciousness as Anakin withdrew his fingers from her body. After a moment, he rolled off her body with a ragged sigh, running a hand through his mused hair.

Taking a deep breath, Padme steeled herself, after all, this encounter wasn't over yet. What she'd been given, she had to give back… Turnabout was fair play, yes? Honestly, she had no real idea what to do but she wanted to try anyway. The thought of _touching _him like that made her flush and heat grow between her legs all over again. It was as far as they could go physically… After all, sex risked pregnancy and access to birth control was scarce at best. It was too dangerous. To get pregnant all but guaranteed death for a woman in this world… No medical care, no midwives, limited mobility… All that meant death.

Bringing a child into this cruel world was selfish, it was _stupid _and Padme couldn't take the risk. She wouldn't.

Which left them with limited options to progress matters here.

Forcing herself to take one last calming breath, she pushed away her overactive brain and nervousness and focussed on the remaining embers of her lust. She straddled his waist and slid her palms down his warm skin, from his shoulder and along the length of his chest until they met the coarse, worn denim of his dark jeans. "Padme," his voice was rough and deep, "you don't – I don't – "

Ignoring him, her fingers moved straight to the tarnished button and zipper of his pants, tugging them loose and down so it was easy to push the denim and soft material of his boxers down enough to free Anakin's straining erection. _She could do this, she could do this… _

She wrapped her hand around his cock and Anakin groaned, arching into the touch desperately. Padme tried to recall the more erotic moments from books she'd enjoyed in the past and giggling conversations she'd had with her friends about their experiences… But her memories were muddled and vague so she decided that much like everything else in the new world, she would learn from experience.

Her thumb swiping across the tip of his cock made Anakin whine, a sound that she would never imagined he was capable of before, and it was so endearing that Padme couldn't help but lean forward and kiss the spot beneath his earlobe, feeling his pulse race excitedly. Slowly, experimentally, she began to move her hand up and down the velvety skin of his length, noting the contrast between the hard flesh and the softness of it.

She needed to do more if she wanted to bring Anakin to the same heights of pleasure he gave her… So, she shuffled down his body until she found herself eye level with his cock… _That was certainly new… _He leaned up on his elbows, watching her curiously as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. She would have been lying if she said she knew exactly what to do, what little knowledge she _did _have came from steamy romance novels and drunken titbits from her friends. So, when she hollowed out her cheeks and took him into her mouth, Padme was improvising.

Anakin seemed to have no complaints about her lack of experience, however, as he moaned, hips bucking as she moved her head up and down his shaft. Glancing up at him, Padme's eyebrows rose to see how loose he seemed, head thrown back and mouth slackened… To see the infamous Imperial leader so pliant was a little jarring but she enjoyed unearthing yet another new side to this man.

She focussed on using both her mouth and tongue at once which left Anakin hissing her name, grasping at the bedsheet and rutting his hips upwards to meet her mouth. The sudden movement made her gag but she forced a harsh breath through her nose and ran her fingers over his hips in a silent warning.

"Shit," he gasped, "sorry – sorry, I… _Fuck, _I'm gonna – "

It was all the warning Padme received before Anakin's head fell back with a long, pleasured groan and a burst of bitter, wet, warmth filled her mouth. While not exactly a pleasant taste, it was far from the worst thing she'd ever sampled, definitely worth enduring to give him a taste of the pleasure that he had given her.

Silence fell over the bedroom broken only by Anakin's breathless pants as he began to piece himself back together in the aftermath of what happened. Padme glanced around the room as he sat up and began unlacing his boots. What happened now? Was this a one-time thing? Her mind reeled with questions and scenarios and half-baked things to say now the heat between them had faded.

He shucked off his jeans and adjusted his underwear before falling back onto the bed with a long, tired sigh. "Stop thinking."

Blinking, Padme frowned, feeling jolted. "What – what do you mean?"

"You look like you're about to send yourself into a spiral. Don't do it. This was… It was for us. That's all there is to it, okay?" Anakin pushed back the thick, warm blanket and held out his hand, an offering, though of what Padme wasn't exactly sure… Peace? Maybe. Himself? She wasn't sure what to think about that. Although, Anakin was right about something – the admission, despite everything, was bitter to admit – she was thinking about it too much.

_Whatever this is, let yourself have it. Just for tonight._

Nodding silently, Padme laced her fingers through his and climbed between the sheets to be embraced into the warmth of Anakin's body, the events of today finally taking their toll as she laid her head on his chest. Yes, she could have this moment under the cover of night, up here at the top of the world in The Empire. Just Padme and Anakin, not the Imperial leader and the Rebel deserter… When they were normal people in a normal bed pretending for a moment to exist in a world not overrun by monsters, laying in his arms didn't seem so terrible…

As her eyes began to drift closed, lulled by the beat of Anakin's heart, Padme decided it was actually just a little bit wonderful.

_**A/N: The next chapter is a doozy! Prepare yourself.**_


	8. Chapter 8

Awareness came to Padme gently as she woke, enjoying the warmth of the blanket over her nude body, the way the mattress sunk perfectly beneath her weight and most of all, the sensation of Anakin's lips journeying the valley of her neck. Smiling into the pillow, she giggled as his lips lingered on a spot that tickled and turned over to face her lover. "Good morning."

"Mmhm, morning." He leant over her body and brought his lip to hers which she welcomed happily, morning breath aside. When they parted, she traced her fingers along his chin and jaw, enjoying the scrape of growing stubble beneath her touch.

"I think you would suit a beard, you know." It wasn't the first time she'd told him this in the three months they'd been doing this and probably wouldn't be the last, either. Cosmetics were difficult to come by these days – beyond her hairbrush and the occasional can of deodorant – Padme hadn't seen anything like that since the early days of the new world, when everybody thought it was temporary but somehow, Anakin was always able to shave. Did he hoard the foam when he found it? Maybe he just used soap?

He laid on his side and leant on his elbow, exploring the curve of Padme's hip with his free hand, "what _is _it with you and beards, Naberrie?" He laughed, trailing his palm upwards on her body to cup her breast, "I'm starting to think you want to change me."

"Well…" She drawled, barely battling down her smile. Mornings like these had become the norm these past three months, under the comfort of night sharing this bed had begun as a regular occurrence and were now a nightly routine. Sometimes their hands would wander each other's bodies for hours, sometimes they'd make mental maps of one another with lips, teeth and tongues… Every passing day furthered their absolute comfort around each other. It hadn't taken long for their amorous activities to slip out of the bedroom and into other areas of the suite. Couches, walls, tables and on one particularly drunken night, the supply closet next to the lobby had all served them well. "Maybe you _are _a little rough around the edges…"

"Oh, you think so?" Anakin pushed her on her back and climbed over her body, "say what you want, Padme, but you don't like soft. You'd get tired of someone who didn't have fire." She didn't allow herself to dwell on his words, choosing instead to focus on the heat blooming between her legs as he kissed her throat, her breasts and lower, lower… Yes, thinking about _that _was far sweeter.

Whatever it was in this cruel world, they were making some kind of a life together. They talked for hours about movies they used to like, music, hobbies. He made her laugh and without the presence of others around, he could be kind and sweet… They made love with their hands and mouths until they were boneless and sated, laying in a heap of tangled limbs and it was amazing but they burned for more, to go further and know each other in every intimate way. However, without proper protection, it was impossible.

Padme cared about him, she didn't think such a thing was possible before but it was true… She enjoyed their time together, the stolen kisses when no one was looking, the brush of their fingers as they passed each other in the halls of the Empire, the quiet moments upstairs and especially the rare nights he would surprise her with a scrappy dinner and a shared bottle of wine on the table overlooking the city.

It wasn't perfect, nothing was in the new world, but it was _theirs _and Padme enjoyed the comfort it brought her. But still… Deep down in her heart, she still ached for her friends, for Obi-wan, Bail, Rush, Dorme and Sabe… She wondered how they were or if they were even still alive? Padme hoped they were, she wanted to see them again someday.

After losing themselves to their pleasure – twice – Padme pulled on a well-worn pair of dark blue jeans that had torn at the knee two days ago and a long-sleeved, black shirt before reaching for her trusty leather holsters and strapping them to her legs. Without looking in the mirror, she pulled her hair up into a tight pony-tail and sighed, it was getting too long now… She was going to have to cut it before a monster grabbed at it and used it to hurt her. The little things were dangerous in today's world.

After tying the laces of her boots, she walked toward the bathroom and found Anakin applying a beard of soft, white foam to his lower face in front of the high, cracked mirror. He was running low on razors, he'd mentioned it last night, so she made a mental note to keep an eye out on the day's supply run for him. It was a nice thing to do, after all. "I'm going to head downstairs. Kit will be waiting for me to go out for supplies."

"Don't forget to arm up," he put his razor down before starting, "there's been a lot more of those things than usual out there lately."

"Actually, I was thinking that it might be a good idea to go out there without a gun and hope singing Kumbaya would settle them down." He laughed, shaking his head and Padme joined him. It was still a little strange to feel so light and carefree again, especially around Anakin, but in moments lie these their suite felt like home. "I'm not stupid, I know how to take care of myself out there."

"I know." He nodded, "C'mere…" Padme went to her lover with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck when he hoisted he up, onto the white marble counter. "Mmm, why don't you ditch the supply run and we can stay up here all day?" His hands slid from her knees to her thighs and she wound her calves around his hips. It was tempting… Staying here in the privacy of their suit and the snug warmth of their bed sounded _wonderful _in comparison to heading outside into the cold and dangerous streets to pillage a few stores, but, she made a commitment. Kit would be waiting for her.

"I promised Kit I would help him," Padme smiled, "I'll have to cancel a meeting or two but we can lock ourselves away in here all day tomorrow if you like. Maybe I'll find a packet of instant coffee or two to keep us going."

He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers, mindful to keep the lower half of his face from touching her. "Hey, speaking of finding things… You know I went out with Dooku and a few others yesterday?"

"Yes…?" She raised a curious eyebrow.

"Well, it was far out, right by the docks, its neutral territory for now until I can have someone go out and spray the Imperial sign around to keep the Rebels out. No one's been in there, so there was a lot to gather up – tins, cereals and stuff with long expiration dates. We did good, the kitchen is stocked up nicely for now so we don't have to worry about it for a while. I, uh, I found something else… Something still in date…"

Padme sifted her fingers through the soft hair that fell to the nape of his neck as he spoke, nodding along. "If you say chocolate, I might have an orgasm right here."

"Like I'd share that with you," he rolled his eyes with a laugh, "no, it's actually, uh… Look, me telling you this isn't meant to be anything more than putting it out there, okay?"

"Hey," she pulled her face away from his, "you're starting to worry me now. What did you find?"

Anakin's tongue poked out to wet his lips and he nodded slightly, swallowing, "condoms."

"Con..." She breathed, almost choking on the word, eyes wide. He'd found actual, non-expired condoms out there? Padme didn't think that it was possible anymore given how long it had been since the time before. "Wow… I…"

"I thought that I should tell you… Now there's options… If we want them…"

Options. That wasn't something a lot of people had these days, not in anything. But now they did, they could have sex, _real _sex without putting her life at risk through pregnancy. She thought it was impossible for them...

Kit was waiting for her downstairs.

"I think that we should talk about this later when we have the time."

"Yeah," he nodded, "yeah that's a good idea."

Padme traced the top half of the scar over his eye with a gentle fingertip and tried to push back the nervousness she felt in her stomach. They had been together in every other way they could think of, she had seen every inch of his body and he'd seen hers, there was nothing to be frightened about, not with Anakin. "I could see if I can find a bottle of wine when I'm out… For tonight…" She pressed her forehead against his again, "and then… We can just see where the night takes us."

"Yeah? I like the sound of that…" Padme felt his cock twitch against her core through her jeans and smirked, a spark of arousal beginning to coil inside her.

"Mmm, me too… But for now, I have to go, you're making me late to meet Kit."

"Ugh, fine." He rolled his eyes and made to kiss her goodbye but Padme pushed him backwards, shaking her head with a giggle.

"Uh, absolutely not! You're covered in shaving foam!" Something playful lit up in his eyes and she shook her head again, slowly this time, "Anakin Skywalker, I mean it! Stay away from me!"

Ignoring her, he lunged and Padme leapt off the counter, running toward the door as he gave chase, both laughing hysterically all the while.

* * *

That afternoon, Ahsoka walked through the doors of The Empire wearing a long, burgundy leather coat over her dark pants and a torn, purple t-shirt. The weather was finally beginning to warm with winter melting into spring, something which brought survivors some relief. For being a former Imperial and an occasional ally to the Rebels, the girl seemed to stand on neutral ground, dealing with both gangs equally but fighting only for herself. Padme wondered if she ever grew lonely, being out there all on her own… Her time alone on the streets had been horrible.

"Where is Anakin?" Ahsoka's face was blank as she looked at Aphra, "I need to talk to him."

"Right." The raven-haired woman nodded, "I'll go get him." She jogged out of the lobby when the younger girl nodded, unafraid of the Imperials or even of Anakin. She saw why he enjoyed her company; he enjoyed the girl's fire. Ahsoka had a strong nerve, she'd been an Imperial and _chose _to go out on her own… Padme didn't think she could ever be so brave.

After just a moment, Aphra returned and tipped her head for the younger girl to follow behind her. Padme's heart drummed in her chest at the sight. If Ahsoka was here, it meant she had probably visited The Coruscant too – she would know how everyone was! Gathering her courage, she followed Ahsoka and Aphra out of the lobby and around the corner to where Anakin waited in one of the torn, red leather booths for their meeting. She lingered near the end of the hall, prepared to catch the girl on her way out and ask about Obi-wan and the others. All she needed to hear was that they were safe… Safe and alive.

She watched them talking, heard the murmur of their voices but couldn't make out any clear words nor did she care to. Their conversation was none of her business, after all. Anakin laughed at something Ahsoka said but Padme didn't hear the girl join in. Their talk lasted only a few moments longer before the girl stood with a parting nod and made to leave. _This was her only chance! Who knew when Ahsoka would be back?  
_

"Hey, Princess, what do you think you're doing?" Aphra called out as Padme grasped Ahsoka's wrist and yanked her into a dark corner, away from prying eyes and, most importantly, listening ears. The girl looked startled for a moment, her twin black braids swinging over her slim shoulders as she was tugged along. When they stopped, surprise shone in her big, blue eyes.

"Padme!" She crossed her arms, "I'm glad to see you… Obi-wan has been worried that something might have happened to you."

"How is he? And the others? Sabe and Dorme? Bail? Rush? Are they still alive?" There wasn't any time for pleasantries, Padme had no idea when someone might come to interrupt and escort Ahsoka out. They had to get to the point. "Tell me everything you can."

Ahsoka pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder quickly, "I've only seen Obi-wan since you left but he hasn't mentioned any deaths. I'm actually about to head over to The Coruscant now."

It wasn't exactly what she'd been hoping to hear but for right now it was enough, Padme could have cried out with the relief it brought her, instead, tears welled in her eyes. _Thank god, thank god… _

"I know that they miss you," the girl unfolded her arms to touch Padme's shoulder, "Obi-wan regrets letting you come here with Anakin… He would come get you if he thought he could… You haven't been forgotten."

Nodding, she wiped at her eyes quickly, "thank you, Ahsoka, you don't know what it means to me to hear you say all this. When you get there, please just… Tell them I'm alright here. Could you?"

The young girl's face softened, "I will, I promise. And you never know, you might be able to tell them yourself sooner than later."

Her words made the blood in Padme's veins run cold suddenly, there was a hint beneath what she said, a silent promise of _something_… No, Obi-wan wouldn't be so stupid would he? She came here to keep them safe, he couldn't jeopardise that by pulling a stunt to get her back. She shook her head, feeling panic churn in her stomach.

"They _can't _try anything." She grabbed Ahsoka's wrists with a desperate whisper, "I mean it! Anakin will kill them! They can't try to get me back, it's not worth it." He would set his beast on the Rebels and they'd be killed because of her. Because Obi-wan couldn't accept her sacrifice. No, no he couldn't do it!

The girl gave Padme an odd look, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Obi-wan takes any risks into account before making a move. He's a smart man. Don't worry so much, alright?"

She nodded, not exactly reassured but prayed Ahsoka would pass along her words regardless. Hopefully, when he heard she was fine, Obi-wan would finally let her go… That way he and the others could be safe. "Alright… Thank you."

They exchanged a small smile before Ahsoka turned on her heel and marched out of The Empire doors as easily as she'd come in and Padme's heart hurt at her departure. The girl was her only link to her friends… She wished she could go with her to see them, just for a day, even an hour…

When she was sure there were no remnants of her tears, Padme took a deep breath and rounded the corner. Aphra and Anakin stood slightly beyond the booth where he'd met with Ahsoka, whispering to one another quietly. It wasn't difficult to see that he was _seething, _his body tightly coiled and ready to snap and her stomach sank. What had Ahsoka said to wind him up like that? Was it something to do with the monsters? Or was it the Rebels? _Please no, god, please no. _

Anakin noticed her a moment later and snatched his dark coat from the booth before turning to Aphra once again, "take them and be ready. I shouldn't be far behind."

Something was happening but Padme was missing the vital piece for everything to make sense. When Anakin came close enough, she brushed her fingers against his, wary of showing any affection where they could be seen. Aphra already hated her, no need to add anyone else to the list. "What did Ahsoka want?"

His face was hard and stony, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "I could ask you the same," his jaw tightened warningly, "you two looked quite friendly over there…"

_Shit. _There was nothing to tell him but the truth… But would that endanger her friends? Being honest with one another was a fiery tightrope when he had the power and desire to hurt people he perceived to be a threat. If she lied, he would know and then grow suspicious but if she told him the truth… Padme shook her head and rubbed her hand up and down Anakin's arm softly. "It wasn't anything important, I was just asking about Obi-wan and the others…"

"Why?" He asked impatiently, "what is there to know?"

"If they're safe – if they're alive. They're my friends, Anakin, I care about them."

He blinked, surprised, as if Padme had admitted something reprehensible to him. "Why do you care about what's going on with Obi-wan and his Rebel scum? You're an Imperial now. You're here, _with me_." His hands grabbed possessively at her hips over the blue denim of her jeans and tugged her body closer to his.

There was no point to this conversation, she knew it, he knew it, they would go round and round until his jealousy got the better of him but Padme just couldn't help but bristle at his words. She'd always hated when the Imperials had spat the words _'Rebel scum_' at them. They hadn't done anything wrong, the Rebels were people trying to survive just like them.

"Don't say that. They're good people, Anakin, people who took me in and helped me survive. They'll always be my friends regardless of where I am or the way we feel about each other."

With an irritated roll of his eyes, he released her waist and began pulling his dark coat on over the long-sleeved, green shirt he'd dressed in this morning. "You should stop caring about them. Your life here will be easier if you do."

"It's _not _that easy to just stop caring about people!" She said, appalled, "it's not a switch I can just flick off."

"For you, maybe…" He muttered.

Frustrated, Padme glared at him. "Well not everyone is as uncaring as you, you know! Some people actually _have _room in their heart for others."

Anakin paused then, frowning, "…You think that I'm uncaring?" He looked at her like he was angry, perhaps even _hurt, _but Padme didn't care. His callous disregard for her friendships and feelings awoke a deep resentment she'd buried beneath the new feelings created by their changing relationship. It was too late to hold back her anger now. It was spiteful but she _wanted_ to hurt him, to make him see how he made _others _feel for once.

"What?" She laughed bitterly, "you think you care about me, do you? _Please! _You don't care about me, Anakin – you only care about controlling me! All you want is for me to be your little pet! That _isn't_ caring!"

"Is that really what you think?"

"It's what I _know!" _Padme yelled, her anger awoke and then exploded. "You were a bully all those years ago and you're still a bully now! You haven't changed at all." Despite her fury, she felt tears spring into her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know what I was thinking… I thought that maybe there was something more to you, that all this cruelty was a pretence or that you were changing, but I was wrong. You are who you are, you'll never change."

Anakin stared at her for several silent moments as she desperately tried to compose herself, looking upwards at the crumbling ceiling to calm her breathing. His silence felt more alarming than his words. When she wiped her tears away and looked at him again, the intensity of his gaze made Padme's breath catch, it was electrifying, unstable. Her outburst had wounded him, she sensed it, but had it been his heart of his ego? She wasn't sure which was worse.

Regardless, she would _not _take her words back.

Finally, something in his face changed, hardening before her eyes. "Maybe it's time that I proved you wrong, Naberrie." His voice was falsely sweet, dangerously alluring and Padme feared he was setting a trap just for her. Anakin wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her close again, "I'm going to show you _just _how much I care."

She shuddered. Something cruel lingered in his eyes… Had she gone too far? "Anakin – "

He didn't let her finish, claiming her lips in a harsh, bruising kiss that tasted of anger and jealousy instead, releasing her only when Padme was breathless. "We're going out. I have a surprise for you."

He led Padme out of the hotel and to a large parking lot behind an old grocery store where most of the Imperial gang's best fighters had already gathered, murmuring amongst themselves as they waited. Aphra lounged on top of what had once been a silver car, abandoned and rusted now, the thick metal chain of the beast's leash was wrapped around her palm. "You finally decided to show up, huh?" She called out to Anakin with a smirk. "I thought you were going to miss it!"

Why was the beast here?

"Miss what? What's going on?" Padme turned to Anakin nervously and clutched at his shirt, "what have you done?"

She glanced over his shoulder and spotted Rex who guiltily avoided her gaze and dread began to form in her stomach. Did everyone here know what was happening except for her?

"Don't look so worried," Anakin murmured and stroked her cheek, "this is your surprise. You wanted to see your friends again, didn't you? You're getting your wish."

Every inch of Padme's body froze in a mixture of horror and utter dismay. _No, no, he couldn't do this… He couldn't really do this… _"Anakin, please – "

"They're here." Someone said and Padme looked over her shoulder, horrified, as a crowd approached from the other side. Recognizing Obi-wan's long, tan coat right away, horror turned to panic as she grabbed the collar of Anakin's coat, searching his eyes.

"Anakin, no, _please_! Please, I'm begging you, don't do this!"

Without looking at Padme, he called out, "Aphra! Come over here."

The other woman leapt from the car at once, carelessly tossing the creature's chain to Kit who winced and immediately stepped backwards from the thing. When she was close enough, Aphra and Anakin glanced at one another, sharing a silent conversation in the span of an instant and she nodded, shifting her gaze to Padme with a smile.

"Don't worry, Princess," she pouted mockingly, "it'll all be over before you know it." Aphra grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from Anakin whose gaze was fixated on the approaching Rebels, pushing her towards Rex. "Keep her back here."

Furious, panicked and frantic, Padme fought to free herself from the burly New Zealander's grasp as he held her wrist but despite her struggling, shouting and even kicking, there was no escaping, Rex was tall and his grip strong. He forced her backwards a step or two to where the rest of the Imperials waited for Anakin's orders. "I'm sorry about this, lass, really…" He muttered but she hardly heard him over the pounding of her heart in her ears. "Just don't fight him on this. It'll make it worse."

Helpless tears welled in her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. _This couldn't be happening! It couldn't! _She turned to Rex, "why is he doing this?"

"Just watch."

All too soon the Rebel silhouettes had come close enough for Padme to make out her friends across the parking lot and she spied Bail beside Obi-wan, Dorme and Sabe to the left and Clovis beside a man she didn't recognise to the right. Just this morning the sight of her friends alive would have bought her endless joy and relief but now she could hardly breathe from panic. They shouldn't be here. They had to get far, far away from here while they still could!

"Padme!" Clovis spotted her first, he had a new scar across his left cheek but looked exactly how she remembered him otherwise. Bail followed his gaze and found her also, beginning to move forward but Obi-wan extended his am to stop him, something painful in his gaze. The two men whispered together, glancing at her again. Finally, the Rebel leader came forward.

"What's the meaning of this, Skywalker?" He called across the concrete, "you and your crew are in Rebel territory!"

"She wanted to see you," Anakin gestured toward Padme with a shrug, "I wanted to show her just how _nice _can be." Padme's gaze flicked from Obi-wan to Anakin and to his beast where Kit still held it leashed. "Rex, let her go see her friends."

Immediately, the firm grip on Padme's wrist fell away and she took a few small steps but didn't wander further. She wanted to go to her friends but something wasn't right… This was a trap, she just didn't see how yet. There would be consequences, she could feel it in her bones.

"Go on then, Princess!" Aphra sniggered, "don't you want to go say hello? This is what you've been crying for since you joined us."

_I hate her, _Padme thought to herself, _I __**hate **__her. _

Looking past Aphra's smug face, she found Anakin's narrowed eyes and shook her head. What point was this supposed to prove?

"Padme," he spoke at last, "this is your chance."

She didn't move, standing her ground in whatever silent fight he had thrown her into. Padme wouldn't give him easy ammunition against her or her friends – no, their safety was her priority now. After another moment, Anakin rolled his eyes and nodded at Rex who sighed and grasped her arm, pushing her forward despite her struggles. "I told you not to make things more difficult. You'll just piss him off more than they already have!" He hissed in her ear and practically threw her body toward the Rebels.

Padme stumbled forward, slightly dazed, because she had no idea what was happening or what exactly Anakin's plan was. But there _was _a plan, he would never have come here without one. She glanced back at her lover to see him climb onto the hood of the abandoned silver car to sit on the roof, folding his arms over his chest. A hand squeezed her shoulder then and she jolted around to see a pale-faced Bail whose eyes glistened with disbelieving tears.

"Padme…" He breathed her name and just the sound was enough to tear a small sob from her throat. "Are you alright?"

"Yes!" She nodded and threw her arms around the man briefly, pulling back before he could return to hug, "I'm fine, but you have to – "

A moment later, Clovis came running over, all but skidding to a stop before them, "thank god you're okay! When no one had seen you around the city, I began to think the worst. Please tell me that smug bastard over there hasn't… He hasn't done anything to you?"

It took everything Padme had to keep her face from crumbling because if Clovis and Bail _knew _what she _let _Anakin do to her… She shook her head and swallowed her grief. Clovis looked relieved but Bail's face didn't change. A hand on Bail's shoulder made her friend step out of the way to make room for Obi-wan, his face carefully emotionless even as their eyes met. He was always good at hiding his feelings when he wanted to but the auburn-haired man's eyes had always spoken more than his lips ever could.

He looked at Padme with fierce fondness and absolute regret and she forced a smile over her lips for his sake. A long time ago, Obi-wan Kenobi pulled her out of darkness and even if she'd found herself drenched in a different sort of darkness now, she hadn't forgotten what he'd done for her. She wouldn't be alive right now if not for him.

"Padme, I – "

"I think that's enough of a reunion for one day." Anakin barked from where he sat on the car and Obi-wan's gaze shot to the Imperial leader angrily.

"What is all this about, Anakin? Whatever game you're playing, we want no part of it!"

"But you're the one who started it!" His eyebrows shot up, "I have to admit though, I'm disappointed, old man. I expected something more elaborate from you."

Padme tensed and slowly lifted her gaze to Obi-wan again as he clenched his jaw. Clovis took a step forward, defensively blocking her from Anakin and the other Imperial's view. What was he talking about by starting a game? No, surely he and the others weren't stupid enough _not _to listen to the warning she'd had Ahsoka pass along…

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Anakin rolled his eyes, leaping off the car and began to close the space between himself and the Rebels, followed closely by Rex and Aphra. Every step he took spiked her anxiety. "Let me spell it out for you then…" He was close enough to see the smug smirk across his mouth and the coldness of his eyes. Padme tried to catch his gaze, to silently plead with him to call off whatever sick plan he'd conjured up but there was no breaking the spell of loathing between the two men. "Your little trick, sending Ahsoka to me, informing me about that previously undiscovered storage unit filled with weapons and supplies… Did you _really _think I'd fall for that, Kenobi? Let me guess, you planned that I wouldn't be able to resist such a prize and head out with my best fighters making it easy for you and your… Motley crew here to swoop in and take Padme back, yes? In fact, I bet you were all heading to The Empire right now, weren't you?"

Padme glanced at Obi-wan with wide eyes as Anakin spoke, shaking her head in disbelief when his eyes met hers. He looked apologetic but she could have smacked him for being so dense! _How _could he have thought for even a _second _that Anakin would fall for such an obvious ploy? It was too convenient, too easy and completely short-sighted… Ahsoka had obvious ties to the Rebels after all, why would she share that kind of information with the Imperials? It was dangerous to provoke an enemy like Anakin, it was _asking _for trouble… And they'd done it for _her_. Her friends had tried to save her – they _cared _enough to take such a ridiculous risk and it made her ache because they _shouldn't _have tried it! Now, Anakin was going to kill them all.

"You went through all this trouble for nothing," Anakin shrugged, "Padme's an Imperial now, she's fine where she is."

Still hovering in front of her, Clovis scoffed. "Fine with you? _Please, _I don't believe that for one second! You're a sick bastard, Skywalker! The only reason she stays in that hotel is because you threatened us."

"Hey!" She hissed, touching his arm, "stop it! I'm _fine, _okay?"

Rather than take insult at Clovis' furious words, Anakin merely looked the man up and down once before shaking his head. "If only you knew…" His eyes looked beyond her friend's head to catch Padme's eyes. "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

Frowning, Clovis turned to Padme, confusion swimming in his narrowed green eyes. "Tell me what?"

Shame, hot and agonising, swelled inside the Imperial-convert. _Why was he doing this? _Padme felt like weeping. _Why did he __**thrive **__on hurting people in any way he could? _ She hung her head, the words unwilling to leave her lips as both men awaited their appearance with bated breath. "I… Rush," her voice was small and afraid, "things have changed since I joined the Empire."

She trudged slowly around her friend, watching her scuffed boots take the steps toward where Anakin waited, holding out a hand when she was close enough. Padme took it at once to placate him, praying that he'd had his fun and it was over now, but, it didn't stop there. Anakin drew her in, fierce and quick, placing a hand on her nape and pressed a kiss made of jealousy and victory to her lips.

It lasted only a moment or two before Padme pulled away, glaring, but Anakin's eyes were elsewhere. That kiss hadn't been for her, no, it wasn't passion or lust, it was an act, a twist of his knife. She hardly dared to look over at her friends but forced her gaze upwards to where the Rebels stood in horrified silence as understanding dawned of the futility of their rescue. _They had been willing to risk their lives for her and it had been for nothing…_

They had agonized over plans while Padme had surrendered herself to lust.

They had come together with Ahsoka to create a scheme that might outwit the Imperial leader and risk his wrath while she had slept in his arms at night.

Obi-wan was expressionless. Bail shook his head, aghast. Dorme and Sabe avoided Padme's gaze. Clovis looked outraged.

"Trust me," a slow, self-righteous smile spread across Anakin's mouth, "I've made sure she's _perfectly satisfied."_

His double entendre hung in the air poignantly, heavily, and the world around Padme fell absolutely silent. Something rang in her ears. Something burned through her stomach and chest. Shame. Humiliation. Regret.

And guilt. The guilt brought fresh tears to her stinging eyes.

Through his attempt to claim her for himself, Anakin had done something more, something even he probably hadn't anticipated, he'd outed her. Now Padme's sacrifice in joining the Imperials was tainted, in their eyes, she hadn't done it for them anymore, she'd chosen to join him for herself. Now she was with Anakin, sleeping with the enemy, she'd thrown herself into the Imperial firepit and relished the burn.

She was a traitor.

She found the strength to look at Dorme and Sabe first but their shock was too painful to endure. Padme wondered what they'd tell Mon when they got back to The Coruscant. She could already see the disapproval and slow shake of the other woman's head. In the space of a moment, in the red-haired woman's conclusive mind she would no longer be a potential ally or a friend in need of rescue. She would be the enemy. Another one of Anakin's snide, Imperial lackeys. Padme had thought like that once too before she knew what he or the Imperials truly were.

The crowd of faceless, nameless Rebels Padme didn't know judged her, in her mind at least. She dragged her gaze across every one of them to delay the inevitable collision of her and Obi-wan's gaze for she feared the aftermath might break her. But he wasn't looking at her at all, his distant blue eyes focused on Anakin with unmistakable, outright _hated_, unblemished by the truth of context. Would he care if he knew Padme had kissed Anakin first? Would that outrage turn to her if he knew she'd willingly been with him, happily taken her clothes off for him and let herself begin to care about the Imperial leader?

Bail _did _look at her, his dark eyes shocked but kind and perhaps if she wanted badly enough to see it, understanding. Padme's lips parted but no magical, miraculous words slipped out of them. What could she possibly say to make this sound better? They all knew that this world was a cruel place that killed without mercy, they understood how a person had to cling to any scrap of joy they came across. They wouldn't see it as an excuse. Padme wouldn't, in their shoes.

Would she?

Finally, the shocked silence shattered in a thousand tiny pieces as Clovis stormed closer with a harsh, indignant cry. "Shut your damned mouth, Skywalker! You blackmailing piece of shit! You – you forced her, I know you did!"

"No!" Padme cried before she could stop herself. It was not a defence of Anakin, though they would undoubtedly see it that way, it was a proclamation of her own guilt. "It wasn't like that…"

"Fun's over," Anakin's voice rang out angrily, "You and your followers tried to play me, Obi-wan. I hope that's a mistake you'll never make again… For your sake."

Padme only had the time to look up and catch the danger shining in his eyes before a heavy clanking sound and a monstrous roar sent some Rebels running for their lives as Anakin's pet beast pounced, the vibrant purples and greens of its scales glittering in the sunlight as it bounded across the parking lot to kill. There were screams as it approached, Obi-wan frantically pulled out a long blade from the holster on his hip but the beast was so fast, _too _fast…

Rebels rushed to their leader's defence, some she knew and others she didn't, but with a shout from Aphra, the Imperials rushed forward and fighting broke out at last between the two factions. Screams filled the air, blood stained the street and Padme fell to her knees with a horrified cry. There hadn't been an all-out war between the Rebels and Imperials like this before, perhaps it was inevitable, perhaps it was fated, but it broke her heart regardless. These were _people_! People hurting each other, people suffering as the fight grew brutal, savage, absolutely merciless…

And it was her fault.

Padme stayed on the ground shaking as over and over again twin tears trailed down her cheeks, reuniting on her chin before dripping to the concrete below, her shoulders trembled as she fought the urge to lift her head and _scream _until it was all over. How could Anakin have done this? She knew he could be cruel, that he hurt others to better the lives of the Imperials but _this? _It was monstrous. He was evil… She let herself forget it but she would never make that mistake again.

She looked up to see Obi-wan knocked to the ground as the Imperial's four-legged beast's green foot slammed down onto the man's leg, its claws sinking into his flesh, pinning him down as its wide mouth parted for the killing lunge. _No! _She wanted to howl, _no, no, please no! _Bail shot at the monster but its pained howl lasted only a moment before its aggression exploded. Aphra appeared from nowhere and yanked Bail backwards by the collar rising her blade upwards for power and thrusting it into his side. The man stumbled, crying out from the pain of it and Padme watched the blood stain the blue of his sweater worryingly fast.

She pulled herself to her feet, shaking her head numbly. This couldn't go on… She had to do something! People were going to be killed – her fault – her fault – her fault –

"Make it stop!" She cried, rounding on Anakin furiously, "You've made your point now make it stop!"

He looked at her but his eyes were distant, gleaming as he enjoyed the rush of violence but he nodded a moment later, turning to the chaos with a single worded roar. "_Enough!"_ His voice was so loud, so commanding and most Imperials stopped at once, retreating as the remaining Rebels staggered in shock at the sudden departure of their enemies. Some punches were still thrown and Padme flinched as three gunshots rang out, but after a few minutes, it stopped. Aphra and Rex chased the beast's chain for a moment and the New Zealander dragged the horrid thing back toward the Imperials as it howled and shrieked in protest.

Padme craned her neck to see Sabe tear a strip of her shirt off to wrap the stained material around a thick wound on her sister's arm, Bail kneeled on the ground, bleeding and panting as two men she didn't know rushed to help him stand. Clovis and other Rebels gathered around Obi-wan's body, the sight of her friend threatened to make her wretch.

There was blood _everywhere. _Anakin's beast's attack had torn hunks of flesh out of the man's leg, his shoulder and his stomach… He barely moved and the audible panic from the Rebels tore a pained, terrified whimper out of her. How could Obi-wan survive _that? _How could anyone? He'd lost too much blood already… God, if he died here because of that _thing, _she would never forgive herself.

No, she would never forgive Anakin.

"Don't try to cross me again," his voice cut through the Rebel's panic, "if your leader here wakes up and tries it again, remind him of what happened today." With only a wave of his hand, he chased off the rival faction, but not before Rush looked back at the Imperial leader with a parting glare, his gaze changed when he looked at Padme but did not soften. He looked bitter and pained and she wondered if he hated her too. They all probably did.

As the Rebels shuffled their way back to The Coruscant, carrying the wounded who could not walk as best they could. Every step they took began to smother the grief and guilt Padme felt and stoked at the fires of rage she'd been too distracted to notice before. Her hands trembled as it grew into a blaze, her breath shallowed and the moment the Rebels were out of sight, safe from his wrath, she spun around and punched Anakin so violently that he stumbled backwards into a car with a curse.

Agony swelled in her fingers and knuckles but she did her best to ignore it and focus on her anger instead, using the fury to ground her. "_That _was your big gesture to prove that you care? Huh? Hurting people that I care about? Killing them? What the _fuck _is wrong with you?!"

Slowly, he lowered his hand from his nose, grunting at the pain of it. Blood trickled down to his lip. "I didn't kill them."

"Not for lack of trying!"

"I called my people off," he stood tall and dared to reapproach her, "when you _asked."_

Padme blinked at him in disbelief, her mouth hanging open before a bubble of laughter slipped up and out of her throat. _He was crazy! Completely out of his mind._ Did he – was he truly twisted enough to actually believe _that _was a nice gesture? He was so utterly wretched and twisted, it was impossible to understand him… He was insane, she had never been more sure of it. How was this the same man she'd woken up with this morning? It made no sense.

He wiped the blood beneath his nose on the sleeve of his coat and hissed, a bruise was already beginning to form. _She hoped she broke something, he deserved it. _"Come on," his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, the message for the Imperials as a whole, "let's go home."

Padme scoffed, sickened, "I'm not going _anywhere _with you. You're a monster!"

"Don't be so damned difficult." Anakin hissed, lowering his voice, "What? Are you going to live on the streets alone again? I don't think your friends over there would be too happy to see you on their doorstep right now."

"Difficult? _Difficult?" _She cried, eyes wide, "Are you kidding me?"

The jab about her friends made her ache because it was true. Padme was a traitor now. They'd come to rescue her and almost gotten killed to find out she'd shacked up with her supposed captor. Her bridge to the Rebels was beyond burned, it was ashes in the wind.

Staying with the Imperials was her only choice.

She _hated _Anakin for that.

Behind him, someone sniggered, someone else whispered and _someone _gave a low, awkward whistle, as if this was nothing more than a small lovers spat they got to witness. They were _all _deranged, every one of them, why hadn't she seen it before? Normal people didn't share a laugh over drinks on one day and fly into vicious battle at a word from their leader. They didn't hurt people for no reason.

"You're a monster," she said again, shaking her head at Anakin, "Do you hear me?" Padme shoved at his chest, forcing him back a step, "You're a _monster! _I hate you! I _hate _you! I wish you'd never come back into my life, Anakin – if I could, I'd never see you again!"

"You're just upset," hurt flashed across his face before he smothered it, "And you know what they say, Naberrie, there's a fine line between love and hate." He tried to smirk but it didn't reach his eyes this time. Finally, _finally, _something had affected him. But it was too late – it was probably a farce anyway – Padme closed her heart to him, she could never be with someone who delighted in cruelty.

"Love?" She whispered and then laughed mirthlessly, bitterly, "_Love? _You think I could _ever _love someone like you? You're crazier than I thought. I can promise you one thing, Anakin, and it's that I will never, _ever _love you. _Ever._"

Something passed across his face then, hurt, anger, regret and maybe a touch of embarrassment at being so dressed down in front of his subordinates. He swallowed and looked to where the Rebels had been, curling his hands into tight fists for a moment before dragging his gaze back to Padme's.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Naberrie."


	9. Chapter 9

Enraged. Furious. Betrayed. Heartbroken.

Those were some of the terms Padme could bundle the overwhelmingly intractable emotions the violent collision of Rebels and Imperials had scarred into her heart. The rest left the former Rebel and unwilling Imperial lost, listless and factionless. The hotel which had become her home over half a year became just a building she took shelter in, the people she'd come to know were now presences she avoided. The people she knew inside The Coruscant would probably feed her to Anakin's pet if she ever worked up enough audacity to return. Who would blame them?

It was all his fault. Her hands trembled with rage every time Padme thought of the fight, of how he smirked and _enjoyed _the suffering of her friends because he'd been jealous and smug after working out Obi-wan's secret plan.

She curled herself deeper into the armchair by the window and looked out over New York, seething. At least she'd gotten to see the truth about Anakin before it was too late, before she fell deeper and harder for the mask he'd hidden his knife-grin behind for three months. If it'd gotten to that point? Well, _that _would have been heartbreaking, wouldn't it? Anakin had shown her his true colours that day two weeks ago and the memory was seared into her mind forever. She would never forget the madness in his eyes. The glee in his voice at the call to violence…

Somehow, he'd become more of a beast than the thing he kept downstairs. It made Padme wonder, had the birth of the new world woken his bloodthirst or had that cruel, destructive malevolence always existed inside him, simmering beneath his skin, waiting for the opportunity to reveal itself? She supposed she'd never know. Anakin was who he was and people didn't change, her mother had always said that. When her aunt had given her husband a second chance after his affair, Jobel had said, _"a leopard never changes its spots, dear. He can change his behaviour but not his nature."  
_

Padme wished she'd remembered that three months ago.

Sometimes, when she saw him downstairs in the lobby and their eyes met across the room, she felt like putting her gun to his head and pulling the trigger. The urge to hurt another human was new, he'd brought that out in her. Knowing that only made her angrier. In the darkest moments, Padme's fingers would twitch above the handle of her gun. It would be _so easy… _The other Imperials would probably kill her for it or, at the very least, throw her to their beast downstairs.

But maybe that was a good thing? With both her and Anakin gone neither faction had a reason to hate one another, there could be peace…

But it was impossible, Padme couldn't bring herself to do it. Fool that she was, as angry as she felt, her heart hadn't closed itself to the Imperial leader altogether. That fondness lingered somewhere inside her, barely a flicker of what it had been but it was there. She felt it whenever those dark thoughts came over her.

More powerfully, she felt fear. Complete, abject terror at the lengths Anakin was willing to – and had gone to – to make her, the Imperials and most importantly the Rebels understand that she belonged to him. It wasn't sane or normal or remotely healthy. He had lured her into this gilded cage with sweet affections, warmth and intimacy. She'd begun to believe he valued her as a person, wanted her for companionship and partnership and had been willing to give it and herself to him completely… And then that day in the parking lot, the bars of her trap showed themselves at last.

He would _destroy _her, Padme saw that now, and he would turn to ashes in her wake.

She wouldn't let herself forget again just who Anakin Skywalker was. Ruthless. Cruel. Wicked. A man who killed without regret, without care or _guilt. _He had a heart, Padme had seen it those three months they were together, but it was twisted, rotten and intricately weaved amongst the darkness that clouded his soul.

_Never forget._

Anakin was a lot of things but he wasn't stupid. He knew she was angry and had withdrawn from the suite completely since that day. His clothes were gone, his weapons, his razors, every sign he'd ever lived here had been cleared out in the space of a night. Maybe he figured she needed a little time to move on, then she'd invite him back in. Everything was a _game _to him after all.

Two weeks later and she hadn't extended that invitation. Three weeks. Five weeks. Six. Ten. After that, Padme stopped counting.

He _watched _her, she felt it, knew it. From across the room, Padme felt the weight of his gaze, dark, intense, impossible to read, but he respected her distance, surprisingly, until one night after a scrappy dinner of anything whoever had gone out gathering that morning had managed to put together, Anakin fell down beside her on a torn, black couch near the kitchen.

"Padme," he murmured in her ear, "this has gone on long enough, don't you think? C'mon, talk to me."

She turned stiffly to glare at him, "leave me alone, Anakin." It was the very least she wanted to say to him but the fragile peace she had found lately was more important than angry satisfaction. If she thought about it, they had probably been apart longer than they were ever together by now… Surely something else would capture his attention before long.

_Whatever it was, she wished it luck._

"I know you're angry with me – "

"_Angry?" _Padme spat, "You tried to kill my friends! I want nothing to do with you ever again." With a shake of her head, she trained her eyes stubbornly forward, refusing to meet his gaze as she folded her arms and tried not to wince at the threadbare sleeves of her blue shirt. It'd been a while since she'd found clothes out there that fit.

"I'm sorry!" He growled, "I didn't – that wasn't what I was going to do – that asshole kept talking and saying that I _forced _you and – "

She shook her head again as her fury melted into heavy exhaustion, "No. You don't get to blame Rush for what you did. It's not like that day was a one-off, you and your people have been tormenting the Rebels since all this began. You _enjoy _hurting people, it's who you are."

Padme heard his breath tremble as he exhaled and felt him stiffen beside her, but her eyes never left the long, jagged scrapes etched into the once white wall. _Probably from his beast, _she thought. If it could inflict _that _damage to such a strong structure then Obi-wan never stood a chance. No one did.

She wondered if it had killed him.

"I know what happened scared you, I got carried away… I know it went too far. It won't happen again, I promise… You don't have to keep punishing me for – "

_Lies. Lies. Lies. _All he ever did was lie. It was another trap, another pretty cage full of domestic delusions and false promises. _Fool me once, shame on you… Fool me twice, shame on me. _No, she knew better now. They didn't live in the old days were people sought after and needed love in their lives, no, all Padme needed now was food, water, shelter and bullets for her guns. Anakin didn't factor into that list any longer.

She rose to her feet and tugged down the end of her shirt where it had rode up slightly. Her limbs were stiff and heavy, she felt tired beyond her years, drained, used up… He'd taken everything she had to give. "I don't want to have to tell you again, Anakin. Leave. Me. Alone."

Silence was all that followed Padme as she walked toward the more public lobby area but her heart pounded anyway. In the early days of their stalemate, she'd imagined denying him like that a hundred times, had planned every word, practised every glance and relished in the thrill the situation would give her. But now she felt nothing.

Maybe she really was beginning to harden.

* * *

Ahsoka walked through the doors to The Empire a few days later, head held high against a sea of Imperial glaring and murmuring. Padme looked up from an old fashion magazine she'd found in a store yesterday – funny, the things people used to care about – and felt her stomach sink. What was she doing back here? Wasn't she afraid Anakin would be angry with her for trying to help Obi-wan deceive him?

Was the girl brave or stupid? She couldn't decide.

The Imperial leader's stare was hard as he approached the young girl and the room seemed to hold its breath. Had Ahsoka walked into her death by coming here? Surely she understood whatever fragile trust that existed between her and Anakin had to be gone now, he didn't take kindly to being deceived, that much he'd made clear. "You must be feeling brave," his voice was cold, "to show your face in here again, Snips."

"You always taught me not to be afraid, right, Skyguy?" The girl forced a small smile and folded her arms, the burgundy leather of her buttoned-up coat squeaking with the movement. "If I knew things had… Changed, I would have held Obi-wan off, okay?"

"You've been leaning too heavily toward the Rebels, Ahsoka, I'm beginning to question the neutrality you fought so hard to claim."

"I can see how you would see it like that. Anyway, I'm not here about that. I actually have a few questions for you. The Rebel territories are almost stripped of supplies, is it the same here? People are starting to worry."

Anakin blinked and glanced around the room. Padme saw his throat bob as he swallowed, _he was nervous, _she realised_. That couldn't be good. _She hadn't been sent out for food supplies for a while but even she had noticed their depleting supplies. It was bound to happen, there were only so many tins and cereals in the city… But what did it mean? Were they going to have to find a new home somewhere else? Relocation on that scale was incredibly risky! They'd be lucky to keep half their numbers.

"Come on," Anakin tipped his head, "let's talk in here."

She watched him lead the girl toward the backroom door which had once opened into the kitchen, it was an employee-only door, judging by the size and lack of grandeur compared to everything else. Her heart sped up as they disappeared behind it. The Rebels were struggling? If Ahsoka had talked to them then she had to know how her friends were! Maybe she could tell her – maybe if Padme was careful, she could –

No. No, she couldn't do that. Asking about her friends last time had led to disaster, they'd gotten hurt and possibly _killed_ because Padme couldn't keep her mouth shut. Some mistakes couldn't be made twice.

She looked across the room and found the guilty gaze of Rex following her. Maybe Anakin asked him to keep an eye on her? Maybe he missed being her friend… They hadn't talked much lately… Padme couldn't remember the last time she exchanged more than a polite handful of words with either Rex or Kit and the thought saddened her. They'd been her only real friends outside of the Rebels, welcoming her into Imperial life with open arms regardless of her affinity for the enemy. And what happened _wasn't _their fault she reminded herself, they'd just followed the orders of their leader in a tense situation. The blame lay firmly on her and Anakin's shoulders, no one else's.

A moment passed and Padme pulled her eyes away from the New Zealander, looking back toward the door Anakin and Ahsoka disappeared behind. Maybe if she couldn't ask the girl her questions there was another way to find out what was happening across the city? She felt Rex's eyes on her as she crept toward the kitchen door, the muffled voices becoming clearer and louder as she came closer. _She would only listen for a moment, she only needed a second to know if they were alright…_

She stood next to the thick door and held her breath, pressing a hand against the frame for balance as her ears strained, desperate to catch _anything _Ahsoka or Anakin said. The younger girl's words were lost beneath a mumble but Padme heard Anakin laugh, light and almost carefree… Not at all like the cruel, playful cackle he did as the Imperial Leader. It reminded her of –

No. Listen.

Biting at her lip, she pressed her ear closer to the door and concentrated.

"Listen," the small thud of boots against decrepit tiles bled through the door, probably Anakin pacing as he spoke, she assumed. "I have something to ask you in return."

"Alright…"

"I mean… Snips, you're a girl…"

She heard the girl snigger. "I'm surprised you noticed."

"Funny." Padme could almost _see _the roll of his eyes in her mind. "I need advice."

She frowned, almost jolting at his words, how unlike Anakin Skywalker to ask for council on anything – especially from Ahsoka… The only people he confided in were Rex and Aphra but it was difficult to imagine even them offering advice to the Imperial leader.

"I can't offer much guidance on what to do about the food, Anakin. It's like I said, the – "

"It's not about that." He cut her off with a sigh, "I wish it was. It's…About Padme. She's pushed me away – practically out of her life altogether."

The Imperial-convert's heart skipped a beat – stilled altogether actually – at the mention of her name. Anakin didn't sound confident and infallible as he usually did, no, he was different… Something in his tone had shifted. Insecure, she realised, he sounded insecure.

"Wait, you're asking _me _for relationship advice?" Ahsoka laughed, the sound felt absolutely foreign to Padme. The girl always seemed so serious, so sullen and determined. For some, there was no room in this world for joy anymore. She'd always thought the younger girl was one of those people. _What had she gone through? _"Oh, Skyguy, are we going to braid each other's hair next?"

"Hey!" His tone was biting. "Remember who you're talking to…"

_There it was… _No, there _he _was. The menacing edge to his voice, the underlying threat in his words… _That _was the Imperial leader, the real Anakin beneath the mask he sometimes slipped on. He couldn't stay hidden for long.

A long silence lingered between Anakin and Ahsoka then, heavy, angry, and Padme wished she could see their faces. Not enough to dare crack open the door, though. Was it tense in there? Or awkward? Maybe the girl was fuming silently and attempting to gather herself before speaking again. That would be wise.

"Have you ever thought that _maybe _holding her here against her will _isn't _the best way to win her over?" Ahsoka snarled, "she's a person, Anakin, did you forget about that?"

"She's here so I can protect her."

"_Please_!" The girl cried, "I know what happened that day! You tried to kill her friends and made her watch! That's – you're not… Sometimes I wonder what happened to you." Her tone grew cold and distant, "the Anakin I knew once could never be so vile."

"_That _person was weak. You know what happened before… Besides, Obi-wan and I had a disagreement, that's all."

What happened before? Padme's eyebrows shot up. Anakin _never _discussed his past, he closed up at the mere mention of the old days sometimes. She remembered his mother, sweet, kind Shmi, their house, she knew Shmi had married and began fostering children a year before the world ended from her mother's phone calls. What had happened to them? Everyone had trauma. Everyone had seen the blood of their loved one's spilled… What had Anakin seen?

"A _disagreement? _Seriously? Obi-wan is _still _recovering. He almost died from blood loss alone!"

Padme's eyes burned suddenly and she clenched them shut as tightly as she could. How could this have happened? Obi-wan who'd given her a _home_, who worked so hard to protect her, who risked _everything _to get her back… Now, he was hurt and suffering because of her.

_Her fault. Her fault. Her fault. _

"Kenobi is stubborn," Anakin said carelessly, "he'll live on to be a pain in my ass for years yet… He's saving his death until it's the most inconvenient for me, I know it."

"Wow…" Ahsoka laughed bitterly, humourlessly, "I just _can't_ understand why Padme wouldn't want you."

"I fucked up, I get it." He growled, "now how do I fix it?"

Padme's stomach contorted, twisting itself into tight, cramping knots as she listened. _Why _was he so insistent on her going back to him? What did it mean? Anakin Skywalker was an unsolvable riddle, a kaleidoscope of questions and answers and blacks and greys… How could a person be with someone like that? He exhausted her, challenged her and frightened her. She tried not to think of those three months where maybe, just maybe, she had begun to believe he might fulfil certain parts of her. Those days were gone.

"Maybe you could try being _nice_," Ashoka said.

"I am nice!" He scoffed, "Since _it _happened, I've given her all the space she wants – hell, I only _just talked _to her for the first time since it happened! I leave her be, let her keep the suit and go on food runs and patrols with everyone but me – what more can I do?"

"Hmm, I don't know," the sarcasm in the girl's voice was thick, completely unmissable, "how about you stop treating her like a prisoner? I don't know what happened between the two of you before but if you want it back then this place has to actually be a _home. _Right now, she probably feels like it's a prison."

Before Padme could overhear Anakin's response, hands rested on both her shoulders, giving a tight squeeze and making her gasp. Immediately, she yanked away and reached for her gun, heart pounding, only to be greeted by Rex scratching at the back of his neck. "Sorry, lass… Didn't mean to make you jump, but I think that's enough. You don't want to get caught earwigging, do you?"

The young woman _wanted _to protest, to tell Rex to leave her alone and turn back to the door. Whatever Anakin's reaction had been, she'd missed it and the thought gutted her, but the New Zealander was right, they could come out at any moment without warning and catch her. It wasn't worth it. Reluctantly, she allowed the burly man to lead her back into the lobby. Distantly, she heard him speak but her mind was too far away to hear what he said.

He seemed to understand and sat down on a long, cracked, leather sofa and patted the spot beside him which Padme filled mechanically. Her mind reeled. How was she supposed to feel about all of _that? _Yet another new side of Anakin revealed and it threw her just as much as the others did. He was still a demon, a creature of violence and chaos, but, more than ever she had no idea how to piece all the little parts of him she'd collected together. They didn't fit into one man, rather they were a thousand fragments of a hundred different men… No one could be that torn on the inside, could they?

They sat in silence as the minutes passed until, eventually, Ahsoka emerged at the end of the hall first with Anakin sauntering behind her. They spoke in low voices and shared a nod, the girl's typical braids bobbing with the movement. She made to leave, stepping toward the hotel doors until her eyes fell on Padme. Despite everything, she wanted to run to Ahsoka, to take her by the wrists and ask every question she could possibly think of. It was tempting, overwhelmingly, until Rex's hand fell upon her shoulder, gentle but firm. A silent warning.

The girl nodded once, almost regretfully, before making her way toward the door. Her car probably waited outside to take her to The Coruscant and Padme ached to join her, just for an hour or two. She wanted to know if they were okay, to apologise for putting their lives in such danger and pray they could forgive her. The door closed behind Ahsoka and Rex released her shoulder, probably relieved. Padme didn't feel relief…

From the corner of her eye, she saw Anakin move but he looked away from her just as she turned to face him. At once, Rex stood and walked to his leader's side as he stormed off without a parting word. Whatever he and Ahsoka talked about after she left must have been serious… He looked unlike himself, the confidence was gone, no smugness, no swagger… Anakin looked almost as drained as Padme felt.

Shaking her head, the Imperial-convert stood and made her way to and up the stairs, taking each floor slowly as the strangest, heaviest sensation of numbness began to take over her mind, her heart and then finally her limbs. Padme was only surprised it had taken this long to feel nothing… Living in this hell, this hotel, this life… It was bound to change someone, wasn't it? How much could any person take before they simply _stopped _feeling? Maybe that was what happened to Anakin?

She wanted to be afraid of this, to feel horror at herself for giving in, for hardening but Padme only felt tired. She didn't _want _to be like this, the girl she'd been once would have been disgusted at who she was becoming… A shell. A shadow. Existing but not quite living. She couldn't keep going on like this – she needed _something_, to feel _anything _that would help her keep going.

As she reached the suite, Padme felt herself begin to sink rather than wallow. She was so, so _tired. _Tired of living like this, of hating herself and Anakin and this hotel. It was eating her up inside. On a more stable day, maybe she would have cried but it felt as if she had no tears left to shed, no grief left to feel.

Maybe this was her punishment, for thinking _she _could have happiness in this world that had torn it from so many people. Who was she to believe she was so deserving? Who had Padme thought she was?

The numbness grew cold. Ice spread through her veins. Her body felt heavy and unmovable, as if turning to stone in this very spot, doomed to remain forever in this suite. Suddenly, the bed, though it was just across the room, felt like a million miles away. Padme wanted to fall into it and never get back up. She was slipping, slipping out of grasp… A whisper of fear niggled in her chest. This wasn't normal. It wasn't _right. _Whatever it was, she couldn't keep going on like this.

All she needed was something to grasp onto. Something to live for. Was that too much to ask for in this world?

The door swung open and Padme found the strength to turn around in time to see Anakin lingering, not quite inside, not quite outside. Unsure, unwelcome, absolutely uninvited. "What are you doing here?" She said tiredly.

He seemed to brace himself before speaking, going over whatever rehearsed words he had once more before freeing them. "I just wanted to check on you…" The barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, "You didn't seem like yourself downstairs."

"I don't even know who myself is anymore…" Padme shrugged, "I haven't in a long time."

"Hey…" Anakin stepped further into the room, carefully maintaining a safe distance from her. "What's brought this on?"

"Why do you care, Anakin?" She rubbed her fingers across her face frustratedly, "Why me? I don't understand – I have _never _understood why you're so focused on me! Aphra would have you in a second – _happily_! And she's as messed up as you are – why are you still chasing me?"

She knew, she knew that he saved her life when she was a Rebel and before when she'd been out on her own in the streets, that he had watched over her like some sort of a twisted guardian angel she had never noticed… But Padme didn't understand _why_? God knew they hadn't been friends in school. Their mothers had gotten along but that had meant nothing to either of them. So why? Why did he protect her? Why did he even _want _her?

"I care about you, Padme…" He drew closer, "you know that."

"Those months we had together were nice, but – "

"It wasn't just those three months." His voice was quiet and he avoided her eyes, looking pained. "Come on, Padme, you can't be that naive… I was an idiot back in school but all I ever wanted was your attention." Slowly, something slightly wistful and very bitter came across his mouth, almost a smile. "I don't think I went about it in the right way."

"You had a crush on me in school?" So, it had been a silly schoolboy crush all along, all the times he teased her, pushed her, antagonised her? "You made my life _miserable." _

Anakin stared at his boots, whatever hint of a smile that had existed on his mouth was gone, instead, he frowned. "The world may have changed but some things stayed the same, huh?"

If he was looking for her pity, he wouldn't have it. Unlike him, she would never _enjoy _hurting someone but the truth was the truth… Wasn't it? Well, there was _some _truth to it at least. He _had _made her miserable through his actions but Anakin himself had made her happy for three months. "It did change," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, "for a while."

Anakin nodded and squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment before straightening his back. Just like earlier, he lacked his usual air of confidence… Somehow the Imperial leader looked smaller. It was easy to forget he was just a man sometimes, not a god or King of the new world… He'd been rattled today, Padme could tell, by her, by Ahsoka and by whatever was happening out there that had them both so worried.

She wished she could tell what was going through that mind of his, that things were different and she could ask him to confide in her. Those three months felt like years ago, like different people in another world… This had seemed like a kinder place then. How sweet delusions could be.

"Come downstairs with me," Anakin said at last, "there's something I want to show you."

She shook her head, eyes closed heavily. "I just want to go to bed… It's been a long couple of days…" Whatever he had to show her didn't matter. What difference could it possibly make? Besides, her scalp throbbed from the tightness of her braid, she could feel the beginnings of a headache stirring behind her eyes and it wouldn't be pleasant. All she wanted to do was brush her hair out and sleep. Maybe tomorrow would be better?

Certainly couldn't be worse.

"Please?" His eyes pleaded with hers, Padme hadn't seen him look so earnest _ever. _"I promise it's worth it."

She hesitated, torn between the thrill of curiosity and the weight of her fatigue. Eventually, after a long sigh, she followed Anakin out of the suite and down and down and down the stairs until they reached the lobby. People milled around and she spotted Aphra scanning the glossy pages of the magazine Padme had been reading before. Funny, she didn't seem like the type…

"Rex!" Anakin hollered. The man appeared within a minute, ready and willing to serve his leader no matter what he asked. His loyalty unquestioned and happily given. Padme wished she understood it. "Get the beast up here and bring the thing."

"What?" She cried, terror pooling in her stomach. The last time that thing was brought up it was to hurt her friends. Its appearance meant nothing good. "Why do you need that up here to show me something?"

"Hey," he touched her arm and for once Padme didn't flinch away. Maybe she would have if her eyes weren't trained on the revolving door that led to the beast's basement. Her breathing quickened as the panic began to grow. She didn't want that thing up here, why would Anakin think she wanted to see anything about it? "Relax! Relax! Padme, I promise nothing's going to happen. You'll see."

A low, rumbling growl came from behind the door and she felt her fingers trembling. Just a moment later, the New Zealander reappeared leading the creature, still green and purple, still scaly, still hideous, by its leash. It already looked agitated. It struggled against being led, tugging and shrieking furiously and Padme drew back in fear. If that chain ever broke, how many people could it kill before it was taken down? It'd taken bullets before and lived, she'd seen it…

Without care for his life or safety, Anakin strode toward the beast as Imperials sniggered around them. "About time she found out!" Aphra whispered loudly to Dooku who merely stared ahead as if bored. The Imperial leader stopped just a few feet from the snarling creature, meeting its yellow gaze unflinchingly.

"Now, you be a good little monster. Okay?" He talked as if it were his beloved pet – the absurdity might have made Padme laugh if she weren't so utterly terrified. He held out his hand as Rex stepped out of the revolving door for a second time, having handed the leash to a man whose name she didn't remember. The man passed an old, battered guitar into Anakin's hand and she jolted, blinking twice to be sure she wasn't imagining things. Of all the objects in the world Rex could have retrieved, she would never, _ever, _have thought of a guitar! Other than smacking the creature over the head with it, Padme couldn't fathom _why _he'd need such a thing.

Slowly, Anakin pulled the worn strap over his shoulder and strummed the strings tunelessly as he began to spin with the fiddling pieces at the top to alter the sound. He seemed pleased enough with the sound after a few moments and plucked at the strings with more purpose. The song sounded… Familiar… It pulled at something inside her, a long-forgotten memory she just _couldn't _recall. Maybe she'd liked that song in the times before, maybe it played on the radio and she'd sung along carelessly…

The beast stopped growling immediately.

Padme's eyes widened, fascinated, as its movements slowed, the protests against its leash died away as Anakin played the instrument like an expert, his skilled fingers playing a beautiful tune that could have swept her away if not for the creature's presence. _It'd been so long since she heard music… _The thing seemed completely soothed, enthralled and relaxed, kneading its claws into the carpet for a few moments before laying down with something like a content sigh.

She looked around frantically but nobody seemed surprised or fazed – did everyone here know about this? How was that possible? After another moment or two, Anakin pulled the guitar off his shoulder and handed it back to Rex. The Imperial leader's bright eyes seared into Padme's, excited and vibrant now, so unlike how it'd been upstairs. "You see?" He spoke to her alone despite the others in the room. "Now you're a _real _Imperial. You know our secret."

"I… They respond to music?" Padme drew closer to him, gaping, "it – is it really that easy?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded, "it soothes them to sleep. If we still had the technology and power for strong speakers we could put every creature we come across to sleep for an easy kill. For now, all we have is the guitar."

"_How?_" Her mind reeled, "How do you know about this?"

He pointed at the beast, "it's loyal to me for a reason. I found it at the beginning of all this," his words came in too low a whisper for anyone else to overhear. So not everybody knew this part of the story, then… Anakin _did _keep some secrets from the Imperials after all. "Back when there weren't many of them – when the armies still had some sort of control. I found it by a bush and it was so _little_… Just a baby. It wasn't so scary back then."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing! He had the beast all this time? Before they overtook humanity and killed millions? How was that even _possible? _"You just adopted it?"

Anakin smiled, gleaming with pride. "I thought it might come in useful… And I was right."

"You need to tell someone! _Everyone!_" This information could save lives! So many lives, Padme couldn't begin to imagine it. "If the creatures can be tamed as babies then maybe – "

"No."

His tone was final. It was supposed to end the conversation but she didn't care. This was a _real _chance to make a change in this terrible word, to prevent needless suffering! How could he pass that up _again_? He kept the information that beasts were attracted to blood to himself too, how many lives could that have saved?

"Anakin, you have the power to _save lives! _How can you keep that to yourself?"

"Because I don't care about anyone outside of this building, that's how." He turned his back on her and paced a few steps as the beast slept on peacefully. Around them, Imperials glanced at one another awkwardly, to them it was probably just another lovers spat. How _no one _here seemed to understand the importance of this knowledge was crazy!

"Well, _I _care!" She cried, outraged. This went beyond his cruelty, far, far beyond whatever lust for power the new world had given him, this was absolute madness! Didn't he _want _the possibility of the old world returning? No, Padme realised suddenly, Anakin was born for _this _world, for chaos and madness, not stability. Of course, he wanted to preserve it. "Can't you think of someone _else _for once in your life?!"

"I _did _tell someone!" He snapped, whipping around to face Padme again, eyes blazing. "I told someone and you know what happened? They tried to kill it anyway and then they tried to kill _me._ I won't make the same mistake twice."

Someone tried to _kill _him because of the creature? For a moment, just one flicker of a second, Anakin looked haunted and then grieved before his fury returned. Padme had seen it though and it shook her to her core. _Oh, Anakin, _she thought, _what happened to you? _

"Who – " She began to ask when a high pitched growl interrupted and she turned to look at the beast, finding it still fast asleep at Rex's feet. _How was that possible? _Suddenly, another foul shriek filled the air and she slowly raised her gaze to the revolving door, a deep pit of horror beginning to form in her belly. "You have more of them?" She turned back to Anakin, "How many more of these do you have?"

"Twelve," he said. "With more on the way."

"On the… You're _breeding _them?" She cried, disgusted. Just how many creatures did he plan to own? Breeding twelve of them could lead to _countless _beasts down there. A whole new wave of them. Bringing back the old world would be impossible…

"_Why_?" She asked, incredulous, "why would you want _more _of those things in the world? Haven't enough people died?"

"Those things," he pointed toward the revolving door, "are the key to _our _survival, Padme. The people in this building's survival. I told you, they're the only people I care about."

Three small cheers of agreement rang out after his words and she scoffed, completely repulsed and yet she could not find it in herself to feel surprised because of course. _Of course, _Anakin was breeding creatures in the basement, taming them to gain power and control, using the things that murdered her family and tore her little nieces apart for his amusement. It was too much… Harsh jolts of pain and anguish jabbed at her until it felt as if she couldn't breathe.

She had to get out of here.

Padme rushed toward the stairs and climbed them two at a time, ignoring the burn in her legs and the tightening in her chest. The further she got away from that lobby and basement the better. Maybe then she could breathe again. Maybe then she could _think_! Her head throbbed, her eyes burned and as she reached the door to the suite, the possibility of this world finally, _finally _breaking her seemed all too real.

As soon as she was inside, Padme ran toward the high window and pressed her forehead and palms against the cool glass, letting out a strangled sob. _Why was she crying __**now**__? _She felt rattled, her nerves were frayed beyond repair. This world was cruel and terrible and she _hated it_. It wasn't supposed to be like this… Monsters were supposed to live inside stories and nightmares, not the streets! And they certainly weren't supposed to wear the face of a handsome, tormented man. Her parents and sister were supposed to be alive, her nieces were supposed to grow up, she was supposed to graduate and start her life.

And yet, despite the deep pit of despair Padme had found herself in lately, the hopelessness and the fear, she wanted to survive. This was a terrible life, it was wretched and messy but she wanted it. She clung to every second of light she could find, even if right now it felt as if hers was going out. But she had hope. Anakin and his beast army couldn't take that away from her.

Once again he followed her upstairs, just a few seconds behind her. She turned when she heard his footsteps enter the room. This time he didn't hesitate before entering. Fury was his shield as he stormed toward her, blazing in his eyes. "You want to think I'm a monster?" He growled, eyes boring angrily into hers, "_Fine! _Feel free! But monsters survive, Padme. Do you have _any _idea how many people are dead? It's probably more than either of us can imagine. You've seen what they do – people ripped apart, _screaming_ for mercy, bleeding out on the street… Do you want that to be you?"

Fresh tears welled in her eyes and her voice died in her throat as she shook her head. His gaze was piercing– in all the time she'd known him, Padme had never seen Anakin so passionate about anything. His bluntness edged into cruelty but she knew him enough to understand it wasn't his intention. He was wound up, his hands trembling violently at his sides, she'd never seen him so affected. "It won't be me." He continued, voice hard. "Padme, you have to realise there is _no _happy ending in this world! No superheroes are coming to take the beasts down, there are no magic spells or military coming to help us. This is it. If we want to live, we've got to fight for it – and fight like hell."

"You don't _know _that!" She forced the words out as her tears fell, "someone could do something! There could still be a chance!"

"I know this," Anakin came closer and grasped her shoulders over the grey-white of her shirt, "this city is running out of resources. Sooner than later, food is going to be hard to come by." His gaze was serious as his grip tightened, "What little is left has to be shared between us, the Rebels and whoever else is out there… It's not enough. When we plant things, those things dig them up and eat them. Or they destroy it. Don't you see? We're in big trouble. When hunger hits people are going to get desperate. _Real _desperate. Humanity isn't going to factor into things for long when we're fighting for food. I don't know how much longer we have until what little stability we have here goes to shit. All I know is the Imperials are my people, I'll fight for them and their survival… If that means I have to kill for it, so be it."

Padme grasped the front of his shirt in her fist, horrified. She supposed it was always only a matter of time before something like this happened, no food production meant a limited supply. Running out was inevitable. Just when she thought this hell of a world couldn't get any worse. If the Imperials and Rebels couldn't stand to make peace now, then was no hope of them banding together when they were starving. People would turn on each other, on their own factions, even. The enemy would no longer be just the beasts, it would be each other. "Anakin, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to defend ourselves with everything we have… Even if it means abandoning our humanity. Those creatures down there? They're our secret weapon. When people decide to attack over territory or breaks in for whatever food we have left, _that's _how we'll survive."

"I can't," she whispered, shaking her head, "I can't be a monster."

He cupped her face in his hand and _god, _she'd missed his touch despite everything. She was tired, _far _too tired to fight it. Anakin's eyes were searing in their intensity, powerfully determined and blazing with a heat they hadn't shared in months. "Then I'll be a monster enough for both of us."

His lips crashed into hers and Padme threw her arms around him without thought. Their mouths ravished each other, biting, sucking and teasing one another's lips until they were swollen and bruised from the friction. She launched herself into him, into whatever he could do to chase away the pain, the fear and frightening numbness that had begun to overtake her. Anakin brought her heat, he could give her something to cling to, to fight for, to _live _for. Selfish as it was, she wanted it. _Needed it. _

Her belt and holsters landed on the carpet with a soft _thunk _when he undid the strap before beginning to work on the stubborn, tarnished button of her dark jeans. _Let him have her… Let him __**obliterate **__her so long as she felt something again, _she thought as he sunk to his knees to untie the laces of her boots.

Soon, they were gone and then so were her jeans followed by her shirt and underwear in a blur of movement and sensation as he guided her backwards to the bed. She landed with a thud on the soft mattress. It'd been months since she'd let him touch her and just the hint of it was enough to send heat pooling between Padme's legs. _God, _she needed it. It was greedy, it was selfish, he'd tried to kill her friends and yet she thrilled in the way the Imperial leader kissed his way down her body. What kind of a person was she? Did it even matter anymore when humanity close to turning on each other?

Outside, at the very top of the city that had never slept, the wind roared to life when he plunged his tongue into her core, giving her a long, wet lick. Pleasure burst between her legs so violently that for one half of a second stars flashed before her eyes. Her eyes rolled back and it was all Padme could do to grasp onto the sheets for dear life. _She'd missed this, oh she'd missed this so badly…  
_

Anakin kissed her core desperately, as if his very life depended on her pleasure and it was wonderful, amazing, she could hardly breathe through the onslaught… And yet her heart stung for something more, whispering that this could never be enough to change what happened.

Although, when his mouth found her clit, it felt very close to enough, for now at least.

Padme moaned, louder than she ever did when they'd done this regularly and reached down to tangle her fingers in his soft, sandy curls. She tugged on them, probably a little _too _roughly, as he sucked her to near oblivion but he never pulled back from his task, never lifted a hand to loosen her grip. Maybe it was repentance, the pain and the pleasure an apology he could never put into words… _It wasn't enough, it couldn't be enough. _

Still, she couldn't help but use her legs to draw Anakin even _closer_, encouraging extra intensity in the delicious friction he gave her. _Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop _were the only thoughts that ran through her mind as her hips lifted, tilting toward his mouth as his hands squeezed the flesh of her backside. _I'll be monster enough for both of us… _His voice boomed in her mind suddenly, surprising Padme as her pleasure began to spike.

He was happy to further taint himself, to mar himself in darkness just to preserve what little light she'd clung to in this world. Anakin would kill for her, beasts or humans, without mercy… Would he die for her, she wondered? How far would the Imperial leader go to fulfil such a pledge?

As if he sensed her thoughts, Anakin's eyes lifted to give her a look that was full of dark, angry lust and… And…

Padme came apart with a force she'd never known she had, her body coiled tight as a long, whining shriek tumbled from her lips and out into the suite. What a good thing it was that everybody was so far below them… She might have laughed if she weren't consumed by pleasure.

Throwing an arm over her eyes, gasping breathlessly, she rode every wave of ecstasy as it hit her, bucking and pushing up against his mouth until, finally, it was all gone from her body.

The mattress dipped as he climbed onto the bed beside her and Padme sat up, relishing in the slight sensation of cool air the small movement brought. She tugged her hair-tie out and unwound the tight braid her hair almost permanently lived in until her curls were free to tumble down her back. It felt good, lighter even despite the heavy weight the thickness of her hair created. As soon as she was done, Anakin tugged her by the wrist, pulling her into his lap so she could straddle him. The familiarity of it was nice, like an age-old dance she knew the steps of without thought.

But what happened now?

Anakin's hands were gentle as they stroked her hips and sides, up and down, affectionate despite the obvious lust in his eyes. "Padme…" His voice was tender on her name and after a moment it became clear he wasn't looking for her to return the favour, the realisation was enough to stun her for a moment. He pressed his forehead to hers, "I – I don't even know – "

She grit her teeth and began to brace herself for what was to come. Padme wanted to _live_, desperately, but just being alive _wasn't_ living, this world had taught her that. Anakin believed that to live well, one had to take what they could no matter the consequences, he'd told her that once. _Be selfish, _he'd said, _no one's going to give you anything you don't take for yourself. _

Right now, maybe for the first time in her life, Padme wanted to be selfish.

She was going to _take_ not give.

It was only fair.

It wasn't difficult to rip Anakin's shirt off his body and toss it to the floor. It was even easier to push him down to the mattress with an edge of roughness that surprised even her. He went down quickly, eyes wide with shock. Padme had never been anything but tender with him, passionate yes, but she'd never been harsh, rough or coarse. A lot had changed since those three months.

She shimmied down his body and tugged off his belt with a risky _hiss _of leather before setting about the button and zipper of his pants. He helped her, lifting his hips when she slid off his jeans after ridding him of his boots. Once his cock was free, Padme curled her fingers around the warm, smooth skin of it. Licking her lips, she gathered her nerve. "Do you think those condoms are still usable?"

Surprise seemed to jolt through Anakin. His eyes widened first, comically large, before his jaw followed suit. "_What? _I – Padme, I don't know if – I mean…" He spluttered but she caught his eyes flick toward the bedside table on what used to be his side of the bed. She hadn't gone near it since he left. _Of course… _

She climbed off his body and moved around the bed to tug open the simple drawer. Inside, a brightly branded package labelled with bold, dark lettering promising thinness and extra pleasure lay alone in the otherwise empty space. Padme snatched it up and turned the package around once and then twice two find the small expiration date stamp.

Three months left.

The packaging tore easily beneath her teeth and she plucked a single foil packet out while clambering back onto the bed where Anakin still watched her with wide eyes. "Hey – _hey!"_ He caught her waist when she straddled him, "You sure about this?"

Was she _sure _about this? The question could have made her laugh and cry. How could she be sure about anything anymore? The world changed overnight once and it was close to changing again, somehow even worse this time. That kind of thing made someone question herself. She didn't trust him, would _never _trust him… But he brought out feelings Padme needed to survive, whatever that meant.

"I want to feel alive," she whispered, "I _need _to."

Trembling fingers rolled the condom over his length. Her hips readjusted just as Anakin's mouth opened to speak but the words were lost, cut off by the strangled groan that erupted from his throat when she sunk down on him.

She hissed, gritting her teeth as their bodies slowly came together. _Fuck, _did it hurt… Her inner muscles weren't used to this thickness and they clenched around him automatically when they needed to loosen. The dull ends of her nails sunk hard into the flesh of his chest as she braced herself on him, if it hurt, Padme doubted he even noticed over his obvious pleasure.

One deep breath, one half-thrust and one barely held back cry of pain and it was gone. Her virginity, gone. _Really?_ She thought, _that was it? _Where was the life-altering change people talked about? She didn't feel any different only sore and stretched… _Why _did people put so much value on virginities in the old world again? It was so easily broken… Now, in a world where everything was broken, something so fragile wasn't worth a second thought. _How things changed… _

Once upon a time, Padme imagined this would take place on her wedding night. She'd be in white satin, on her back beneath a man she loved more than life itself… In reality, she began to lift her herself off the cock of a man who hurt her friends, who she couldn't bear to trust, who she vowed to never, ever love…

At least she got a presidential suite.

Though, if she were honest with herself, that had been the desire of a girl, the naive child she used to be before her world died. It had shifted over time as she grew up. Even in college, Padme hadn't dated much but if she found someone she loved, something told her waiting for a wedding might not have been the path she'd have gone down.

If things had gone differently that day, she and Anakin would have done this far, far sooner, after all, and they _certainly _wouldn't have a wedding.

Sometimes, things just changed… It was nice to know this world hadn't taken _that _from her, at least.

"_Oh… _Fuck, Padme…" Anakin moaned, squeezing at her waist as she began to ride him. He was beautiful when lost in bliss, eyes shut and jaw slack… She'd always thought he looked far younger when he relaxed. Less like the imposing Imperial leader and more like the young man he should have been.

Moving helped with the pain, at least a little, rocking her hips as he began to thrust up to meet her gave her purpose as something, _something, _began to spark between her legs that made her eyes flutter closed. There were steps to this – awkward – dance of theirs, up, down, swivel, lean… Slowly, just like before, they began to learn. If she rose to the tip of him and then took him to the hilt, it made Anakin's back arch and a curse tumble from his lips. If she tilted her hips backwards and then forward as he thrust into her, he _whined_ and the sound fed her lust.

Slowly, the pain began to fade as they moved, rutting and grinding and gasping and grunting together, and Padme threw herself into her lust.

Outside, the wind howled along with their passion, dancing its way between the city's looming skyscrapers just to rattle against the glass. Neither Padme or Anakin noticed, too lost in the endless valley of each other's bodies. Anakin's hot breath ghosted across her neck, her throat and then her breasts as his lips explored previously conquered territory once more and she threw back her head when he licked her nipples into stiff peaks.

Suddenly, after a particularly _deep _thrust, Anakin pulled back and guided Padme's busy hips up and _off_ his body. She gave a small whine from the loss of him, wet and _wanting _now. _What was he doing? _The lust inside her wanted to yell its frustration.

"Turn around," he rasped against her shoulder and then suckled a bruise into the skin.

She didn't ask why. She didn't care enough to bother. The movement was a little awkward and stiff but she turned, his chest pressed to her back, her knees on either side of his thighs, his hands on her breasts and – _oh!_

Padme's head fell backwards onto Anakin's shoulder as he filled her body again, pushing deep inside her as one hand remained on her breast, flicking the pad of his thumb across her nipple. The other hand, rough and calloused from weapons and fighting held onto her hip for dear life as he moved, hips rolling against her. Pleasure shot between her legs, up her belly and throughout her entire body. Things between them had been good before but _fuck, _this was amazing… When he pulled her hair to one side and kissed away the salty sweat at the nape of her neck, she began to understand what all the fuss was about when it came to this.

"_Yes…_" She moaned as both hands pawed roughly at her breasts again, "Oh, Anakin, oh _god._" How on earth did he figure out how damn good this new angle could be? Padme matched the rhythm of his hips, bouncing on his hard cock again and again and again until they grew less clumsy and went faster, harder, more desperate. "Don't stop!" She pleaded, "Oh god, don't stop!"

"Never!" He hissed. She took him deep, pushing her pelvis _back_ as their bodies merged, her back so close to his chest, sweat clinging to them like a second skin, it felt impossible to know where he ended and she began. "_So good," _he moaned into Padme's neck, "You feel so good…"

"Mmm," Padme agreed, reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair again as he sealed his lips to the point her neck met shoulder, but it wasn't _enough_. There was so much, an onslaught of pleasure and pain where the stretch still burned slightly but it wasn't enough. She hovered just over the edge of release, it was _so close_, but frustratingly just beyond her reach no matter how much she ground down on him or how expertly he kissed her neck or how the tip of him hit that _perfect spot_ with every thrust, she needed something more. "Anakin," she gasped his name, "I – I need…"

"What?" He groaned, "what do you need?"

It was too much, her desire too overwhelming to put into words so Padme grasped one of his hands and pulled it down to her clit instead. The message was simple but effective and he moaned into her ear. Just a few rubs of his calloused fingers against her needy bundle of nerves and everything within her burst. Erupt. Stars exploded beneath her skin, waves upon waves of pleasure crashed over the shore of her body so hard she trembled beneath the force of it. She came _so damn hard_, inner muscles spasming around Anakin's throbbing cock, forcing a crazed moan from his panting lips.

Padme threw back her head and _roared_. Hips bucking, skin slapping over and over and over again until he followed. Anakin threw an arm around her hips to still her frantic movements and thrust up and up and in, groaning a muffled, "_Padme, fuck, Padme…" _into her skin. The rest was a long, unintelligible cry of ecstasy while his body shuddered, tremoring around and within her.

And just like that, it was over.

Several minutes passed before Padme gathered the strength to move, sliding off of Anakin's lap and collapsing on the mattress with a grunt of exertion. Every muscle in her body felt exhausted. She felt like she could sleep for a week! Almost immediately, her eyes began to droop and the call of sleep was strong. Vaguely, she was aware of him leaving the bed to do _something _with the condom for a few moments before the bed sunk beneath his weight once again.

"Padme…" Anakin sounded small, hesitant, almost awkward despite what they'd just done. "Can I… Can I stay? With you?"

She looked at him, difficult as it was to open her eyes and tugged her lip between her teeth. Rationally, Padme knew she should send him away and call this a one time mistake. A moment of solace from her anger and grief. That was what any smart person would have done. But her cooling skin already missed the heat of him against it. Her heart sung a song of _yes_. She wished it were that easy.

"I want you to…" She whispered, "but I… Anakin, I don't know if I can ever trust you again…"

"I know." He looked solemn, "But I'll give you every reason to as long as I'm alive. I _promise you._"

Maybe it was the exhaustion or the warm, tingling contentment of the aftermath clouding her vision, or maybe she was just plain stupid, but whatever it was, Padme found truth in his eyes. "What if it's not enough?" She reached out to him as she asked and he laid down beside her, pulling her flushed body to his so that her head rested on his chest. Beneath his skin, his heart pounded.

"I'll make it enough."

As she began to drift to sleep, Padme slung her arm over his stomach and felt peace war with dread in her chest. Come what may, could there be a happy ending for them? For _either _of them? _They were fire and ice_, she thought, _destined to consume each other. _

It was the oldest story ever written, a tragedy in the making.

But then why did it feel so right?


End file.
